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THE  AMERICAN  SPORTSMAN'S  LIBRARY 

EDITED  BY 
CASPAR    WHITNEY 


AMERICAN    YACHTING 


;-rhg?>y^o 


AMERICAN  YACHTING 


BY 


W.   p.   STEPHENS 


Of   TH£ 

UNfVERSITY 

Of 

NelD  gork 
THE   MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Ltd. 
1904 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,    1904, 
By  the    MACMILLAN    COMPANY. 


Set  up,  electrotyped,  and  published  April,  1904. 


Norwood  Press 

J.  S.  Gushing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co, 

Norwood^  Mass.f  U.S.A. 


INTRODUCTION 

In  spite  of  the  utilitarian  tendencies  of  the 
present  age,  it  is  fortunately  no  longer  necessary 
to  argue  in  behalf  of  sport;  even  the  busiest  of 
busy  Americans  have  at  last  learned  the  neces- 
sity for  a  certain  amount  of  relaxation  and  rec- 
reation, and  that  the  best  way  to  these  lies  in 
the  pursuit  of  some  form  of  outdoor  sport. 
While  each  has  its  stanch  adherents,  who  pro- 
claim its  superiority  to  all  others,  the  sport  of 
yachting  can  perhaps  show  as  much  to  its  credit 
as  any. 

As  a  means  to  perfect  physical  development, 
one  great  point  in  all  sports,  it  has  the  advantage 
of  being  followed  outdoors  in  the  bracing  atmos- 
phere of  the  sea;  and  while  it  involves  severe 
physical  labor  and  at  times  actual  hardships,  it 
fits  its  devotees  to  withstand  and  enjoy  both. 

In  the  matter  of  competition,  the  salt  and 
savor  of  all  sport,  yachting  opens  a  wide  and 
varied  field.    In  cruising  there  is  a  constant  strife 


219316 


vi  Introduction 

with  the  elements,  and  in  racing  there  is  the 
contest  of  brain  and  hand  against  those  of  equal 
adversaries.  As  a  mere  matter  of  healthy  and 
exciting  exercise,  an  hour  at  the  tiller  of  a  yacht 
in  a  thrash  to  windward  will  compare  favorably 
with  any  other  form  of  active  sport. 

In  material  and  physical  points  yachting  has 
much  to  commend  it  to  the  leading  place  in  the 
list  of  sports;  but,  unlike  many  others,  it  goes 
much  further,  and  can  fairly  claim  a  place  among 
the  arts  and  sciences  as  a  purely  intellectual  pur- 
suit. The  science  of  yacht  designing,  a  branch 
of  yachting  which  many  amateurs  follow  as  a 
recreation,  offers  an  unlimited  field  for  study  and 
research,  both  in  the  line  of  the  governing  prin- 
ciples of  naval  architecture,  and  of  their  appli- 
cation to  the  creation  of  successful  vessels.  The 
man  who  can  design  his  own  yacht,  large  or 
small,  construct  her,  or  at  least  plan  and  super- 
vise the  construction,  and,  finally,  can  guide  her 
to  the  head  of  the  fleet  with  his  hand  on  the 
tiller  and  his  active  brain  anticipating  and  check- 
ing each  move  of  clever  opponents,  may  well  lay 
claim  to  one  of  the  highest  achievements  within 
the  reach  of  any  sportsman. 


Introduction  vii 

The  importance  of  yachting  to  a  maritime 
nation  such  as  ours  can  hardly  be  overestimated. 
It  is  a  stimulus  to  the  advancement  of  naval 
architecture  such  as  is  necessary  in  maintaining 
the  naval  and  merchant  fleets  at  the  highest 
standard ;  it  is  a  training  school  for  seamen,  both 
amateur  and  professional;  and  its  mimic  battles 
for  the  different  international  trophies  —  that 
first  awakened  and  now  keep  alive  a  thoroughly 
national  interest  in  maritime  supremacy  —  are 
constant  reminders  of  the  necessity  for  perpetual 
progress  in  all  details  of  naval  development. 

The  history  of  American  yachting  is  more 
than  a  mere  dry  record  of  victor  and  vanquished ; 
it  is  a  summary  of  material  progress  in  naval 
architecture  and  seamanship,  of  researches  and 
discoveries  that  have  redounded  to  the  imme- 
diate benefit  of  the  nation  and  ultimately  of  the 
world  at  large.  At  the  same  time  it  is  a  story 
of  hard-fought  battles,  of  some  defeats  that  have 
been  turned  to  profit  in  the  end,  and  of  many 
notable  victories. 


CONTENTS 


I.  Early  American  Yachts     .... 

II.  George  Steers  and  his  Work    . 

III.  The  Birth  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club 

IV.  The  Building  of  the  "America" 
V.  The  Winning  of  the  Squadron  Cup  . 

VI.  Design  in  America  and  England 

VII.  The  Day  of  the  Great  Schooners  . 

VIII.  The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup 

IX.  The  Development  of  Design  in  America 

X.  The  Battle  of  the  Types  .... 

XI.  Burgess  and  the  America  Cup  . 

XII.  "Thistle"  and  the  New  Deed  of  Gift    . 

XIII.  "  Clara,"    "  Minerva,"    and    the    Forty-foot 

Class 

XIV.  Herreshoff  and  "Gloriana"     . 
XV.  The  Dunraven  Challenges 

XVI.  Small  Yachting  and  the  Seawanhaka  Cup 

XVII.  The  Scow  Type  in  Designing     . 

XVIII.  The  "One-design"  and  Restricted  Classes 

XIX.  LiPTON  AND   the    THREE   "  SHAMROCKS  " 

XX.  Racing  and  Cruising  in  Small  Yachts     . 

XXI.  Steam  Yachting  in  America 


Record  of  America  Cup  Matches 
Index    


PAGE 

I 

14 
26 

39 
S3 
69 

87 
105 
124 
142 
i6s 
188 

198 
211 
225 
247 
267 
280 
299 
323 
339 

359 
367 


AMERICAN   YACHTING 

CHAPTER   I 

EARLY    AMERICAN    YACHTS 

The  designation  of  "yacht"  is  applied  to  a 
vessel  not  merely  on  account  of  her  model  and 
equipment,  but  largely  from  her  use  exclusively 
as  a  pleasure  craft.  The  famous  America  was 
essentially  a  pilot-boat  in  model  and  construc- 
tion, as  well  as  in  deck  and  interior  fittings; 
and  the  yachts  of  a  more  remote  period  were 
practically  working  vessels,  of  one  kind  or  an- 
other, devoted  to  pleasure  use  by  wealthy  owners. 
It  is,  consequently,  a  difficult  matter  to  identify 
as  yachts  the  vessels  first  used  for  pleasure  sail- 
ing. There  are  vague  traditions  of  yachts  in  use 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  and  doubtless  some 
of  the  old  Dutch  burghers  of  Nieuw  Amsterdam 
made  pleasure  cruises  on  the  Hudson  River  at 
a  far  earlier  date;  but  the  first  definite  records 
begin  with  the  advent  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
As  early  as  1 8 1 6  there  was  built  for  an  American 


2  American  Yachting 

yachtsman  a  most  remarkable  vessel,  —  a  yacht 
not  only  by  use  but  by  special  design  and  fur- 
nishing, in  which  a  long  foreign  cruise  was  made. 
Fortunately  the  full  particulars  of  the  yacht  and 
her  cruise  have  been  preserved  to  the  present 
time. 

The  owner,  Captain  George  Crowninshield,  of 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  a  typical  American  and  a 
notable  man  in  his  day,  was  one  of  a  family  of 
East  India  merchants,  —  the  trade  of  China  and 
the  East  Indies  then  centring  in  the  prosperous 
little  seaport  of  Salem,  on  Massachusetts  Bay. 
Each  successive  generation  of  Crowninshields 
was  brought  up  after  the  custom  of  the  time  with 
the  New  England  merchants,  beginning  with  a 
common-school  education  which,  ending  at  the 
age  of  eleven  or  twelve,  included  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  theoretical  navigation.  Thus  pre- 
pared, they  were  sent  to  sea  before  they  were 
more  than  twelve  years  old,  either  before  the 
mast  or  as  captain's  clerk. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  such  a  boy  was  expected 
to  command  his  own  ship,  making  voyages  of 
one  or  two  years'  duration,  the  success  of  which 
depended  no  less  upon  his  skill  as  a  seaman 
than  upon  his  business  ability  in  the  handHng 


Early  American  Yachts  3 

of  valuable  cargoes :  that  shipped  at  home  being 
disposed  of  in  the  far  East,  and  the  return  cargo 
being  carried  to  some  European  port,  where  it 
would  in  turn  be  exchanged  for  a  third,  which 
would  ultimately  be  landed  at  Salem  or  Boston. 
After  half  a  dozen  years  of  this  work,  the  young 
skipper  usually  left  the  sea  to  take  his  place  in 
the  family  counting-room  as  a  junior  member  of 
the  firm.  It  is  this  ancestry  above  all  else  that 
has  given  to  Boston  yachting  that  magnificent 
vitality  so  strongly  in  evidence  at  the  present  day 
in  the  devotion  to  real  sailing  and  racing  in  the 
smaller  classes  of  yachts. 

Captain  George  Crowninshield  was  born  in 
1766,  one  of  six  brothers,  the  sons  and  grand- 
sons of  merchant  sailors.  One  of  these  died  at 
Guadeloupe  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  being  then 
ship's  clerk  on  a  Salem  vessel,  and  the  other  five 
were  all  captains  before  they  were  twenty  years 
of  age.  When  the  time  came  for  him  to  leave 
the  sea  and  enter  the  firm.  Captain  George  de- 
voted himself  to  the  very  important  work  of 
supervising  the  building  and  fitting  out  of  the 
ships,  his  tastes  lying  in  this  direction.  It  was 
while  thus  engaged,  in  1801,  that  he  had  built, 
by  Christopher  Turner  of  Salem,  a  sloop  of  22 


4  American  Yachting 

tons,  named  Jefferson,  which  he  used  as  a  yacht. 
Some  idea  of  the  size  of  this  craft  may  be  ob- 
tained from  her  subsequent  history.  She  was 
the  second  vessel  commissioned  as  a  privateer  in 
1812,  making  one  voyage  with  a  crew  of  thirty 
and  taking  three  prizes.  In  181 5  she  was  sold 
to  Gloucester  and  used  for  many  years  as  a 
fisherman. 

On  the  death  of  the  elder  George  Crownin- 
shield,  in  181 5,  the  firm  was  dissolved,  one  of  the 
sons,  Benjamin,  being  then  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  under  President  Madison.  Possessed  of 
ample  means,  unmarried,  and  with  nothing  to 
occupy  his  time,  George  Crowninshield  planned 
what  would  pass  for  a  yacht,  even  at  the  present 
day.  Some  slight  hint  of  the  peculiarities  of  the 
vessel  is  given  in  her  odd  name,  Cleopatrds 
Barge;  at  one  time  her  owner  proposed  to  call 
her  Car  of  Concordia.  The  model  was  planned 
from  that  of  the  America,  a  very  fast  vessel  of 
600  tons,  the  finest  of  the  old  Crowninshield 
fleet,  first  famous  as  a  merchant  ship  and  then 
"razeed"  and  altered  into  a  privateer  during 
the  War  of  181 2,  winning  new  laurels.  The 
builder  of  the  new  yacht  was  Retire  Becket,  a 
ship-builder   known   to   his   fellow-townsmen   by 


Early  American  Yachts 


the  familiar  nickname  of  "  Tyrey,"  famous  for  his 
fast  merchant  ships. 

The  work  was  begun  in  the  spring  of  1816, 
much  care  being  taken  in  the  selection  and  prep- 
aration of  the  timber  cut  in  the  woods  of  Essex 
County;  the  keel  was  laid  in  July  and  the  yacht 
was  launched  on  October  16.  Every  detail  of 
hull,  furniture, 
and  rig  was 
planned  by  the 
owner,  many 
original  ideas 
being  intro- 
duced. The 
furniture  was 
of  very  elabo- 
rate design, 
and  special 
services  of  silver  and  glass  were  made  for  the 
yacht.  She  was  launched  with  rigging  rove  and 
sails  bent,  and  nearly  all  her  fittings  in  place; 
but,  through  various  delays,  the  original  plan  of 
sailing  was  changed,  and  she  wintered  at  Salem. 
Here  she  was  visited  by  persons  from  all  the 
surrounding  country,  it  being  recorded  that  nine 
hundred  inspected  her  on  one  day. 


Cleopatrds  Barge. 


American  Yachting 


^  The  dimensions  of  Cleopatra  s  Barge  were  83 
"^  feet  on  the  water-line,  23  feet  breadth,  and  11 
feet  5  inches  depth  of  hold,  her  tonnage  being 
191^-  tons.  It  is  an  interesting  coincidence  that 
these  dimensions  were  almost  exactly  duplicated 
in  the  cutter  Mayflower,  built  just  seventy  years 
later  to  defend  the  America  Cup.  One  of  the 
curious  fads  of  the  owner  was  the  painting  of  the 
outside  of  the  hull,  one  side  in  horizontal  stripes 
of  many  colors,  the  other  in  a  herring-bone  pat- 
tern, also  variegated.  The  cost  was  $50,000,  a 
very  considerable  sum  for  the  time,  but  the  fur- 
nishing was  especially  costly  and  elaborate. 

Throughout  the  winter  Captain  Crowninshield 
lived  on  board  the  yacht,  entertaining  in  the  gen- 
erous fashion  of  the  day,  some  of  his  visitors 
boarding  her  from  sleighs  as  she  lay  in  the  ice 
of  Salem  Harbor.  On  March  30  she  sailed,  call- 
ing first  at  the  Azores,  then  at  Madeira  and  Gib- 
raltar. The  summer  was  spent  in  a  cruise  of 
the  Mediterranean,  many  prominent  persons  be- 
ing entertained  on  board,  while  casual  visitors 
were  admitted  by  hundreds;  the  log  records 
that  while  at  Barcelona  eight  thousand  persons 
by  actual  count  passed  over  the  vessel. 

The  yacht  dropped  her  anchor  in  Salem  Har- 


Early  American  Yachts  7 

bor  on  October  3,  181 7,  the  crew  was  discharged, 
and  she  was  moored  alongside  Crowninshield's 
Wharf.  Her  owner  continued  to  live  on  board,  > 
meanwhile  planning  a  second  cruise  to  England 
and  the  Baltic  in  the  following  spring;  but  on 
November  26  he  was  taken  suddenly  ill  and  died 
in  a  short  time  of  heart  disease.  A  most  re- 
markable coincidence  is  that  his  intimate  friend, 
Samuel  Curwen  Ward,  his  companion  on  the 
cruise,  died  in  the  town,  but  a  short  distance 
away,  at  almost  the  same  moment.  The  yacht 
was  sold  at  auction,  bringing  only  $5000,  and 
converted  to  a  merchant  vessel,  making  a  voyage 
to  South  America,  and  later  being  used  as  a 
packet  between  Boston  and  Charleston,  South  > 
Carolina.  She  was  then  used  in  the  Pacific, 
being  finally  sold  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  to> 
King  Kamehameha  I,  who  used  her  as  a  royal/ 
yacht.  After  about  a  year  she  was  wrecked 
through  carelessness,  and  after  lying  neglected 
on  a  reef  for  months  the  hulk  was  finally  taken 
to  Honolulu,  where  it  was  visible  for  many  years 
on  the  beach.  / 

The  history  of  this  yacht  is  most  interesting. 
She  was  in  no  way  a  gradual  evolution,  but  appar- 
ently a  spontaneous  growth  at  a  day  when  pleasure 


8  American  Yachting 

craft  were  unknown  in  this  country.  She  was 
not,  like  the  early  English  yachts,  a  mere  adapta- 
tion of  the  smaller  naval  vessels  of  the  day,  but 
she  was  planned  throughout  as  a  yacht.  At  the 
same  time,  in  the  personality  of  her  owner  and  in 
her  derivation  from  the  representative  merchant 
vessels  and  privateers  of  the  day,  she  was  a  fit- 
ting exemplification  of  American  progress.  Born 
of  such  an  ancestry  as  the  Crowninshields,  and 
cradled  in  such  a  craft  as  Cleopatra  s  Barge,  it 
is  in  no  way  surprising  that  the  sport  of  yachting 
in  its  highest  form  has  ever  flourished  within  the 
protecting  arms  of  Cap  Cod  and  Cape  Ann. 

The  origin  of  yachting  in  New  York  is  inti- 
mately intertwined,  as  in  the  East,  with  the  his- 
tory of  one  of  the  old  Colonial  families.  Colonel 
John  Stevens  was  born  in  New  York  City  in 
1749,  he  graduated  from  King's  College,  now 
Columbia,  in  i  "j^d,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
of  the  Colonial  Provinces  of  New  York  and  New 
Jersey  in  1772.  During  the  active  period  of  the 
Revolution  he  was  treasurer  of  the  state  of  New 
Jersey.  He  purchased  Hoboken,  then  an  island 
of  swamps  and  rocky  hills,  in  1784,  establishing 
the  family  home  on  Castle  Point,  the  beautiful 
promontory   still   overlooking  the    Hudson   and 


Early  American  Yachts 


New  York  City,  with  the  busy  water  front  of 
Hoboken,  the  home  of  the  present  head  of  the 
family.  As  early  as  1798  Colonel  Stevens,  with 
Chancellor  Livingston,  Nicholas  J.  Roosevelt, 
and  Isambard  Brunei,  then  an  exiled  French 
Royalist,  but  later  known  as  the  builder  of  the 
Thames  Tunnel,  inaugurated  a  series  of  experi- 
ments in  the  propulsion  of  vessels  by  steam 
on  the  Passaic  River. 
Later  on,  in  1802- 
1804,  Colonel  Stevens 
produced  an  experi- 
mental boat,  tried  on 
the  Hudson,  with  a 
most  remarkable  outfit 
for  the  day.  The  ves- 
sel was  fitted  with  twin 
screws,  each  four- 
bladed  and  generally 
similar  to  those  now  in  use;  the  engine  moved 
at  a  relatively  high  speed,  being  directly  connected 
to  the  propeller  shaft ;  the  boiler  was  of  the  multi- 
tubular type,  using  steam  at  a  high  pressure.  In 
this  primitive  craft  lay  the  genesis  of  modern 
marine  engineering,  and  it  is  in  no  way  due  to 
the  talented  inventor,  but  solely  to  the  lack  of 


English  Cutter  about  1820. 


lo  American  Yachting 

adequate  shop  facilities  and  accurate  machine 
tools,  that  nearly  half  a  century  elapsed  before 
his  ideas  were  universally  adopted. 

The  succeeding  generation  of  the  Stevens 
family  included  four  brothers,  John  C,  Edwin 
A.,  Robert  L.,  and  James.  Inheriting  all  the 
mechanical  tastes  and  ability  of  the  father  and 
with  ample  means  at  their  disposal,  they  en- 
tered with  zest  into  both  work  and  sport.  To 
them  is  due  the  successful  use  of  anthracite  coal, 
the  T  rail  now  universally  used  for  railways, 
with  the  rolls  for  forming  it,  the  development 
of  the  screw  propeller,  the  improvement  of  the 
marine  beam  engine,  and  various  inventions  in 
the  line  of  military  and  naval  ordnance.  Follow- 
ing up  an  invention  of  the  father,  a  revolving 
turret  plated  with  iron,  they  designed  and  built 
at  their  own  expense  the  "Stevens  Battery,"  — 
an  enormous  experimental  armor-clad  war-ship. 
They  were  active  alike  in  the  technical  and 
business  sides  of  the  development  of  railways 
and  of  steam  navigation  on  the  Hudson  and 
the  Delaware ;  .  with  all  this  they  were  ardent 
sportsmen,  interested  in  horses,  yachts,  cricket, 
and  field  sports. 

In  the  boyhood  of  the  Stevens  boys  —  John  C. 


Early  American  Yachts  ii 

was  born  in  1785  —  there  were  no  steam  ferries, 
but  the  Hudson  and  the  East  rivers  were 
crossed  by  rowboats,  while  Staten  Island  and 
points  on  the  Kill  von  Kull  were  reached  by 
means  of  the  pirogue  or  "periagua,"  a  flat-bot- 
tomed sailing  craft  used  for  ferriage.  The 
Stevens  boys  were  almost  of  necessity  expert 
boatmen,  crossing  from  their  home  to  New 
York  in  their  own  rowing  or  sailing  boats.  As 
early  as  1809  John  C.  Stevens  owned  a  sail- 
boat of  20  feet  length,  named  Diver;  and  in 
18 1 6  he  built  Trouble,  a  periagua  of  56  feet 
length,  with  a  flat  bottom  and  round  bilge; 
there  was  neither  bowsprit  nor  jib,  but  one 
mast  was  stepped  in  the  bow  and  the  other 
amidships,  each  carrying  a  single  sail.  Four 
years  later  he  experimented  with  a  catamaran. 
Double  Trouble,  but  she  proved  a  failure. 

Th'ere  is  a  long  gap  in  the  records,  which  was 
probably  filled  by  successively  larger  yachts,  for 
in  1832  Mr.  Stevens  had  built  by  Bell  &  Brown, 
ship-builders  of  New  York,  the  schooner  Wave, 
of  65  feet  water-line,  sold  to  the  government  in 
1838  and  used  in  the  revenue  service. 

Between  the  years  1830  and  1840  the  use  of 
small  sailing  vessels  for  pleasure  became  quite 


12  American  Yachting 

common,  especially  among  such  men  of  wealth 
as  were  connected  with  shipping,  the  late  R.  B. 
Forbes  of  Boston,  one  of  another  famous  yacht- 
ing family,  being  one  of  the  leaders.  These 
yachts  followed  in  model  the  commercial  vessels, 
pilot-boats,  sailing  packets,  and  fishing-boats  of 
the  day;  among  them  were  Dream,  of  47  feet 
over  all  length,  built  by  Webb  &  Allen,  of  New 
York;  and  Sylph,  built  in  1833,  by  Wetmore 
&  Holbrook,  of  Boston,  for  John  P.  Gushing. 

The  next  venture  of  Mr.  Stevens,  in  1839, 
was  the  schooner  Onkahie,  of  91  feet  water-line 
and  250  tons,  —  quite  a  large  yacht.  She  had  a 
very  fine  bow  in  comparison  with  existing  yachts, 
with  an  iron  keel  for  stability.  After  a  cruise 
to  the  West  Indies  she  was  sold  into  the 
revenue  service  in  1843,  and  five  years  later 
she  was  lost  in  the  West  Indies. 

Fostered  by  such  men  as  George  Grownin- 
shield  and  John  G.  Stevens,  yachting  by  degrees 
made  its  way  into  popular  favor  about  Boston 
and  New  York.  The  larger  yachts  were  owned 
mainly  by  gentlemen  in  some  way  connected 
with  shipping,  but  at  the  same  time  there  were 
many  whose  taste  for  sailing  was  perforce  in- 
dulged   in   a   more   modest   way,    and   who  had 


Early  American  Yachts  13 

recourse  to  the  smaller  craft,  periaguas  and  fish- 
ing-boats, for  pleasure  sailing  and  later  for 
racing.  Environment  naturally  played  a  very 
important  part  in  the  development  of  types; 
while  the  rough  waters  of  Massachusetts  Bay 
called  for  a  safe  and  seaworthy  model,  especially 
in  the  smaller  yachts,  and  the  many  small  har- 
bors gave  shelter  for  such  craft,  the  compara- 
tively sheltered  waters  of  New  York  Bay,  the 
Hudson,  and  the  west  end  of  the  Sound  per- 
mitted the  use  of  the  shoal  and  wide  centre- 
board boat,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most 
available  anchorages  for  yachts  were  on  the 
flats  off  Hoboken,  Communipaw,  and  South  |/ 
Brooklyn,  where  all  commerce  was  barred  by 
the  shoal  water.  Here  yachtsmen  found  cheap 
and  safe  anchorage  grounds,  and  they  naturally 
adapted  their  models  to  them,  reducing  the 
draft  of  hull  to  the  lowest  possible  limit. 


CHAPTER   II 


GEORGE    STEERS    AND    HIS    WORK 


As  he  progressed  to 
larger  yachts  and  more 
daring  experiments, 
John  C.  Stevens  became 
associated  with  another 
whose  strong  personal- 
ity has  left  an  indelible 
imprint  on  American 
yachting.  George  Steers 
was  the  son  of  an  Eng- 
lish shipwright,  who 
learned  his  trade  in  the  royal  shipyard  at  Devon- 
port  and  immigrated  to  this  country  in  1817, 
first  settling  in  Washington  and  working  in 
the  Navy  Yard  there,  and  later,  in  1823,  mov- 
ing to  New  York.  Some  of  his  thirteen  chil- 
dren were  born  in  England  and  others  in 
this   country.      The  date   of    George's   birth   is 

14 


Old  New  York  Pilot-boat. 


George  Steers  and  bis  Work  15 

given  as  1820,  or  just  after  the  family  was 
established  in  Washington.  The  boys  of  the 
family,  James  R.,  Henry  T.,  Philip,  and 
George,  took  naturally  to  their  father's  trade. 
When  nineteen  years  old,  George  built  for  him- 
self a  yacht  of  17  feet  length,  named  Martin 
Van  Buren,  which  was  very  successful ;  and  a 
couple  of  years  later  he  built  for  Mr.  Stevens 
a  very  light  rowing  boat,  for  racing.  Yacht 
designing,  as  it  is  now  understood,  was  an  un- 
known art  at  that  day,  but  George  Steers  was 
probably  grounded  by  his  father  in  the  ordinary 
principles  of  marine  drafting  and  the  laying 
down  of  vessels,  and  thus  was  better  fitted  for 
the  work  of  modelling  than  many  of  his  con- 
temporaries. At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he 
modelled  the  schooner  yacht  La  Coquille,  44  feet 
6  inches  in  length.  Two  years  later  he  modelled 
the  schooner  Cygnet,  53  feet  2  inches  in  length, 
and  with  Mr.  Stevens,  the  schooner  Gimcrack, 
In  1847  he  modelled  and  built  the  schooner 
Cornelia,  of  74  feet,  and  the  sloop  Una^  of  64 
feet,  a  remarkable  yacht. 

Gimcrack,  built  by  William  Capes,  in  Hobo- 
ken,  was  a  schooner  of  5 1  feet  over  all  length,  49 
feet  on  the  water-line,  13  feet  6  inches  breadth. 


i6 


American  Yachting 


5  feet  2  inches  depth,  and  7  feet  6  inches  extreme 
draft,  —  some  four  feet  of  this  being  made  up  by 


Cygnet,  American  Schooner. 
George  Steers,  1844, 


Cygnet,  British  Cutter. 
Wanhlll,  of  Poole,  England,  1846. 

Typical  yachts  of  two  nations,  showing  full  forward  water-lines  in  use  up  to  1 848-50, 
with  straight  raking  keel  and  V  section. 

a  plate  of  iron  about  twelve  feet  long,  virtually  a 
fin  keel.     That  she  is  one  of  the  historic  craft  of 


George  Steers  and  his  Work  17 

American  yachting  is  due  not  to  her  exceptional 
speed  or  excellent  performance  (she  can  hardly 
be  termed  a  successful  experiment),  but  because 
she  was  the  cradle  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  — 
the  organization  of  the  club  being  accomplished 
in  her  cabin  on  July  30,  1844. 

It  is  impossible  to  dissociate  the  work  of 
Stevens  and  Steers,  or  to  give  credit  to  one 
rather  than  the  other.  The  older  man  lacked  the 
immediate  technical  training  of  the  younger,  but 
he  possessed  a  wide  experience  in  yachting  and 
at  the  same  time  both  he  and  his  brothers  were 
closely  in  touch  with  the  leading  minds  of  this 
country  and  Europe  and  fully  conversant  with  all 
new  theories  and  inventions.  The  work  of  the 
younger  man  was  restricted  to  the  designing  and 
building  of  different  classes  of  vessels,  his  ulti- 
mate triumph  being  the  United  States  frigate 
Niagara,  His  opportunities  for  study,  research, 
and  experiment  were  more  limited  than  those  of 
Mr.  Stevens. 

In  those  days  of  prosperous  commerce  and  sail-\ 
ing  packets  the  pilot-boat  fleet  was  an  important 
adjunct  to  the  port  of  New  York.     Speed  was  an 
essential  in  these  little  ships,  and  yet  at  the  same 
time  their  cruising  ground,  in  winter  as  well  as 


1 8  American  Yachting 

summer,  was  on  the  open  sea  anywhere  between 
Nantucket  Shoals  and  Cape  May.  Early  in  his 
career  George  Steers  became  famous  through  his 
pilot-boats,  and  in  1849  he  built  one  whose  fame 
survives  to  the  present  day.  The  Mary  Taylor^ 
named  after  a  popular  actress  and  singer,  was  a 
remarkable  boat  in  that  her  design  was  directly 
opposed  to  all  established  theories  and  traditions 
of  naval  architecture.  Up  to  the  building  of  Una, 
George  Steers   had   followed   the   general   form 

Cthen  found  in  all  vessels,  —  the  "  cod's  head  and 
mackerel's  tail  "  model,  with  round  water-lines  for- 
ward and  a  generally  full  forebody,  finished  out 
by  a  long,  clean  after-body;  the  form  being  well 
described  by  its  popular  designation  just  quoted. 
In  the  Mary  Taylor  this  form  was  practically  re- 
versed: the  midship  section  was  moved  aft,  the 
bow  was  made  longer  and  much  finer,  and  the 
after-body  was  filled  out.  The  result  of  this 
change  was  nothing  less  than  a  revolution  in  de- 
signing, quickly  imitated  by  other  builders  and 
ultimately  affecting  all  classes  of  vessels. 

It  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  facts  in  the 
whole  history  of  American  yachting  that  within 
the  two  years  or  less  which  elapsed  between  his 
work  in  modelling  Una  and  his  production  of  the 


I, 


George  Steers  and  bis  Work 


19 


Mary  Taylor,  George  Steers,  in  defiance  of  firmly 
established  precedent,  turned  his  models  end  for 
end,  making  the  bow  approximately  of  the  form 
previously  considered  suitable  for  the  run,  and 
vice  versa.  That  some  very  powerful  influence 
lay  back  of  this  change  is  apparent,  but  history  is 
silent  as  to  its  nature. 
The  most  plausible 
supposition  is  that  it 
came  indirectly  from 
a  movement  for  a 
reform  in  designing 
instituted  some  years 
previously  in  England 
by  John  Scott  Rus- 
sell, the  Scotch  scient- 
ist and  naval  engineer. 
Though  John  C.  Stevens  figures  most  promi- 
nently in  yachting  history,  his  brothers,  Edwin 
A.  and  Robert  L.,  were  closely  associated  with 
him  in  yachting,  as  in  many  lines  of  work  and 
study ;  the  three  were  thoroughly  conversant  with 
the  progress  of  art  and  science  in  the  Old  World 
and  in  communication  with  some  of  the  leading 
engineers  and  inventors  of  the  time.  For  some 
years  previous  to  this  John  Scott  Russell  had 


Hudson  River  Sloop. 


( 


20  American  Yachting 

publicly  advocated  his  new  theory  of  the  wave- 
line,  advocating  a  long,  fine  bow  with  a  marked 
hollow  at  the  fore-end,  and  a  much  fuller  curve 
for  the  water-lines  of  the  run.  Though  he  failed 
in  awakening  any  widespread  interest  on  the  part 
of  ship  and  yacht  builders,  some  few  were  induced 
to  consider  the  subject  in  a  new  light,  and  in 
1848  the  iron  cutter  Mosquito  was  built  on  the 
Thames,  one  of  her  marked  features  being  the 
long,  hollow  bow  which  all  old  salts  predicted 
would  take  her  speedily  to  the  bottom  in  a  sea- 
way. It  is  highly  probable  that  the  Stevens 
brothers  were  informed  as  to  Scott  Russell's 
theories,  and  that  through  their  influence  George 
Steers  was  first  led  to  take  up  a  new  line  of 
experiment. 

The  Mary  Taylor  proved  a  great  success,  her 
superiority  being  demonstrated  in  her  work  out- 
side the  Hook  alongside  of  the  old  type  of  pilot- 
boat.  In  1850  the  "cod's  head"  bow  of  Maria 
was  cut  away  and  she  was  rebuilt  forward,  being 
lengthened  to  no  feet  on  the  water-Hne  and 
116  feet  on  deck.  It  is  impossible  to  gauge  the 
exact  success  of  this  change,  as  racing  was  con- 
ducted in  a  very  informal  manner,  with  inade- 
quate  allowances,  and   most   of    her   opponents 


George  Steers  and  bis  Work 


21 


were  much  smaller  than  she ;  but  it  seems  prob- 
able that  her  speed  in  smooth  water  was  decidedly 
improved. 

Between  1849  and  the  time  of  his  death  in 
1856,  through  a  runaway  accident  in  driving  from 
his  home  on  Great  Neck,  Long  Island,  to  New 
York,  George   Steers,  working   in  an  unpreten- 


Typical  Hudson  River  Packet  Sloop. 

tious  way,  sometimes  as  the  modeller  of  a  yacht 
or  a  pilot-boat  and  often  as  the  head  of  a  ship- 
yard, directing  personally  the  construction  of  ves- 
sels after  his  models,  did  much  to  improve  the 
actual  vessels  and  to  advance  the  knowledge  of 
naval  architecture.  He  designed  the  pilot-boat 
Moses  H,  Grinnell  and  others  equally  famous  in 
their  day,  the  yachts  Silvie  and  Ray,  the  latter 
still  in  commission  as  a  cruising  yawl ;  he  altered 
existing  yachts  and  improved  their  speed,  and  he 
designed  and  built  the  fast  sloop  Julia,  famous 


22  American  Yachting 

for  many  years.  His  larger  work  included  the 
United  States  frigate  Niagara  and  some  fast 
merchant  vessels.  His  name  is  linked  perma- 
nently with  that  of  the  schooner  yacht  America, 
but  she  represents  only  a  small  part  of  the  impor- 
tant work  crowded  into  a  brief  career. 

In  spite  of  their  close  association  at  this  period, 
there  is  little  to  connect  George  Steers  with  the 
sloop  Maria,  one  of  the  notable  yachts  of  her 
time.  She  was  built  after  Gimcrack,  in  1845,  and 
her  model  is  commonly  ascribed  to  Robert  L. 
Stevens.  At  this  time  the  passenger  and  freight 
traffic  of  the  Hudson  River  was  carried  on  in  a 
type  of  vessel  distinct  from  the  pilot-boats  of  the 
Lower  Bay,  the  "  North  River  sloop,"  of  75  to  100 
feet  in  length,  very  wide  and  of  shoal  draft,  with 
a  large  centre-board,  and  rigged  with  a  large  and 
lofty  mainsail  and  a  single  big  jib.  In  spite  of 
their  bluff  bows  these  unwieldy  craft  sailed  fast 
in  strong  breezes  and  on  a  reach,  and  sometimes 
outsailed  the  yachts  of  the  lower  river.  At  times 
one  of  them  was  chartered  for  a  cruise,  and  tradi- 
tion states  that  such  was  the  case  on  the  first 
cruise  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  in  1844,  one 
of  these  chartered  sloops  with  a  party  of  yachts- 
men on  board  outsailing  the  yachts. 


/*<J 


George  Steers  and  bis  Work 


^ 


23 


It  was  shortly  after  this  cruise  that  the  Stevens 
brothers  planned  a  new  yacht  on  the  lines  of  one 
of  these  sloops,  she  being  finally  named  Maria, 
after  the  wife  of  John  C  Stevens.  She  was  built 
at  William  Capes's  shipyard,  in  Hoboken,  and 
apparently  was  not  a  success  at  the  outset,  as  she 
was  not  raced  until  the  end  of  her  second  season. 
Her  dimensions 
were:  length  on 
water-line,  92 
feet;  breadth,  26 
feet  6  inches ; 
depth,  8  feet  3 
inches ;  draft  ex- 
treme, 5  feet  2 
inches.  She  was 
essentially  a  cen- 
tre-board sloop, 
of  very  light 
draft,  the  fore  end  of  the  keel  being  rockered  up 
to  a  depth  of  but  8  inches  at  the  fore-foot. 

There  was  a  large  centre-board  about  amid- 
ships, of  iron,  and  counterbalanced  by  powerful 
spiral  springs ;  the  hoisting  gear  consisted  of  a 
shaft  running  along  the  top  of  the  centre-board 
trunk  and  carrying  two   barrels,  the  larger  one 


Maria, 


24  American  Yachting 

aft,  for  the  lifting  chains ;  so  that  as  the  shaft  was 
revolved  the  after  end  of  the  board  dropped  more 
rapidly  than  the  fore  end.     The  weight  of   the 

Z  board,  including  some  lead  ballast,  was  7 
tons.  The  mast  was  hollow,  bored  out  like  a 
pump  log ;  while  the  boom,  also  hollow,  was  built 
of  long  staves,  hooped  together  like  a  barrel  and 
trussed  within  with  iron  rods.  The  cloths  of 
both  mainsail  and  jib  ran  parallel  to  the  foot  of 
each  sail,  so  that  the  seams  would  offer  no  resist- 
ance to  the  wind.  In  the  course  of  her  many 
alterations  the  yacht  had  a  large  portion  of  her 
lead  ballast  placed  outside  the  hull,  not  as  a  keel, 
but  in  a  layer  from  five  to  two  inches  thick  over 
the  garboards  and  lower  planking.  She  was  also 
fitted  with  a  second  centre-board,  a  small  one  in 
the  after  dead-wood,  to  help  the  steering  when 
off  the  wind. 

Her  great  size,  and  her  type,  which  was  spe- 
cially fitted  for  local  conditions,  made  Maria  a 
very  successful  yacht  In  those  days  the  races 
were  started  off  Hoboken  and  the  course  was 
down  the  Hudson  River  and  New  York  Bay, 
rounding  the  Southwest  Spit;  or  sometimes  go- 
ing outside  Sandy  Hook  and  rounding  the  light- 
ship.     With  the  prevailing  summer  winds  this 


George  Steers  and  bis  Work  25 

made  a  reach  out  and  back,  and  the  great  length 
of  Maria,  with  her  shoal  draft  and  big  rig 
of  only  mainsail  and  jib,  gave  her  an  advantage 
over  the  smaller  yachts  of  deep  model  and  rigged 
for  cruising. 


CHAPTER   III 


THE    BIRTH    OF   THE    NEW   YORK    YACHT   CLUB 


In  the 
infancy  of 
yachting 
there  was 
little  need 
for  a  yacht 
club  in 
either  Bos- 
ton or  New 
York,  but 
early  in 
the  forties 
yachts  of  25 
to    50    tons 

were  sufficiently  numerous  about  New  York  to 
make  racing  possible.  What  was  probably  the 
first  aquatic  club  in  this  country  was  the  Knick- 
erbocker Boat  Club  of  New  York,  organized  in 
181 1,  but  dying  in  the  following  year.  In  1830 
the  New  York  Boat  Club  was  organized,  with  a 

26 


Spray,  N.Y.Y.C. 
Hamilton  Wilkes,  Esq. 


The  Birth  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club    27 

membership  of  one  hundred,  including  John  C. 
and  Robert  L.  Stevens,  Ogden  Hoffman,  Samuel 
Verplanck,  C.  L.  Livingston,  and  Robert  Emmett. 
In  1835  some  of  the  Boston  merchants  who  were 
sailing  in  company  on  fishing  trips  and  short 
cruises  organized  the  Boston  Yacht  Club,  but  it 
had  little  more  than  a  nominal  existence,  dying  in 
a  couple  of  years.  In  1840  the  Hoboken  Model 
Yacht  Club  was  organized ;  little  is  known  of  its 
history,  but  it  was  not  a  club  for  sailing  model 
yachts,  as  its  name  now  implies,  but  an  associa- 
tion of  owners  of  sailing  boats. 

It  is  no  way  surprising  that  when  the  number 
of  yachts  was  such  as  to  justify  the  union  of 
yachtsmen  the  first  steps  were  taken  by  John  C. 
Stevens.  His  new  schooner  Gimcrack  had  been 
afloat  barely  a  month  when  there  was  held  on 
board  her  a  meeting  that  marks  one  of  the  impor- 
tant dates  in  yachting  history.  The  story  of  the 
meeting  is  best  told  in  the  following  copy  of  the 
minutes :  — 

Minutes  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club 

On  Board  of  the  Gimcrack,  off  the  Battery, 

New  York  Harbor,  July  30,  1844,  5.30  p.m. 

According  to  previous  notice,  the  following  gentle- 
men assembled  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  yacht 


28  American  Yachting 

club,  viz.  John  C.  Stevens,  Hamilton  Wilkes,  William 
Edgar,  John  C.  Jay,  George  L.  Schuyler,  Louis  A. 
Depaw  (Depau?),  George  B.  Rollins,  James  M.  Water- 
bury,  James  Rogers,  and  on  motion  it  was  resolved  to 
form  a  yacht  club.  On  motion  it  was  resolved  that 
the  title  of  the  club  be  the  New  York  Yacht  Club. 
On  motion  it  was  resolved  that  the  gentlemen  present 
be  the  original  members  of  the  club.  On  motion  it 
was  resolved  that  John  C.  Stevens  be  the  Commo- 
dore of  the  club.  On  motion  it  was  resolved  that 
a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  by  the  Commodore 
to  report  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  of 
the  club.  The  following  gentlemen  were  appointed, 
viz.  John  C.  Stevens,  George  L.  Schuyler,  John  C.  Jay, 
Hamilton  Wilkes,  and  Captain  Rogers.  On  motion  it 
was  resolved  that  the  club  make  a  cruise  to  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  under  command  of  the  Commodore. 

The  following  yachts  were  represented  at  this  meet- 
ing, viz.  Gimcrack,  John  C.  Stevens ;  Spray y  Hamilton 
Wilkes ;  Cygnet^  William  Edgar ;  La  Coqtiille,  John  C. 
Jay;  Dreanty  George  L.  Schuyler;  Mist,  Louis  A.  De- 
paw;  Mintuiy  George  B.  Rollins;  Adda,  Captain  Rogers. 
After  appointing  Friday,  August  2,  at  9  a.m.,  the  time 
for  sailing  on  the  cruise,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

John  C.  Jay,  Recording  Secretary, 

The  cruise  was  duly  made,  and  at  Newport 
were  met  the  schooner  yacht  Northern  Light, 
owned  by  Colonel  W.  P.  Winchester  of  Boston, 
and  the  Boston  pilot-boat  Belle,  then  under 
charter   to    Captain    R.    B.   Forbes.     These   two 


The  Birth  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club    29 

gentlemen,  with  Mr.  David  Sears,  were  the  first 
eastern  yachtsmen  to  join  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club. 

On  March  17,  1845,  ^^^  ^^st  regular  meeting 
of  the  club  was  held  at  Windhorst's  coffee-house, 
on  Park  Row,  the  following  officers  being  elected : 
Commodore,  John  C.  Stevens;  Vice-commo- 
dore, Hamilton  Wilkes;  Recording  Secretary, 
John  C.  Jay;  Corresponding  Secretary,  George 
B.  Rollins;  Treasurer,  William  Edgar.  Just 
north  of  the  rocky  promontory.  Castle  Point,  the 
home  of  the  new  commodore,  lay  the  low  flat 
shores  of  Weehawken,  at  that  time  a  picnic 
ground  for  New  Yorkers,  under  the  name  of 
the  Elysian  Fields.  Here  was  built,  as  a  home 
for  the  club,  a  modest  and  unpretentious  wooden 
house,  first  occupied  on  July  15,  1845.  Two  days 
later  the  first  regatta  of  the  club  was  sailed,  the 
course  being  from  a  line  off  Robbins  Reef  past 
a  mark-boat  off  Bay  Ridge  on  the  Brooklyn  shore, 
then  past  another  mark-boat  off  Stapleton  on  the 
Staten  Island  shore,  thence  out  through  the  Nar- 
rows and  around  the  Southwest  Spit  buoy,  return- 
ing over  the  same  course.  The  following  yachts 
started :  — 


30 


American  Yacbting 


Cygnet  .... 

schooner 

45  tons 

William  Edgar 

Sibyl      .     . 

schooner 

42  tons 

C.  B.  Miller 

Spray     .     . 

schooner 

Z7  tons 

Hamilton  Wilkes 

La  Coquillle    . 

schooner 

27  tons 

John  C.  Jay 

Minna    .     . 

schooner 

30  tons 

J.  Waterbury 

Gimcrack    . 

schooner 

25  tons 

Com.  Stevens 

Nawburgh  . 

sloop 

33  tons 

H.  Robinson 

Adda      .     . 

sloop 

17  tons 

J.  Rogers 

Lancet    .     . 

sloop 

20  tons 

George  B.  Rollins 

There  is  no  record  as  to  which  of  this  fleet 
were  keel  and  which  centre-board  boats,  but  the 
keels  were  probably  in  the  majority.  All  were 
stanch,  sturdy  little  ships,  both  wide  and  fairly 
deep,  with  broad  sterns  and  very  short  overhangs 
forward  and  aft;  they  were  all  snugly  rigged, 
with  short  stump  bowsprits  carrying  single  jibs, 
and  short  masts  and  gaffs.  Where  a  topmast 
was  carried  it  was  an  insignificant  bit  of  stick, 
and  light  sails  were  simple  and  few  in  number. 
The  yachts  were  rated  at  their  custom-house 
measurement,  the  allowance  being  45  seconds 
per  ton  per  mile.  The  race  was  practically  a 
sweepstakes,  the  entrance  fees  going  to  a  cup 
for  the  winner,  all  racing  in  one  class,  with  no 
distinction  as  to  rig.  The  winner  was  Cygnet, 
her  time  being  5:23:15;   the  second  boat  was 


The  Birtb  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club    31 

Sidy  I,  in  5  :  25  :  25  ;  and  the  third  was  Gimcrack,  in 
5:30:30. 

What  is  officially  recorded  as  the  first  annual 
regatta  of  the  club  took  place  on  July  16-18  of 
the  following  year.  The  course  was  changed 
to  bring  the  start  and  finish  off  the  club-house 
instead  of  off  Robbins  Reef,  some  six  miles  be- 
low ;  but  the  outer  mark  was  still  the  Southwest 
Spit  buoy,  this  being  retained  as  the  regular 
club  course  for  many  years.  The  prizes  for  each 
day  were  cups  costing  ^200  each;  the  two  rigs 
were  classed  together,  with  the  same  allowance 
as  in  the  previous  year,  and  there  was  a  time  limit 
of  eight  hours.  The  schooners  entered  were 
Gimcrack,  La  Coquille,  Sibyl,  Cygnet,  Brenda, 
Lancet,  Northern  Light,  Spray,  Pet,  Siren, 
Coquette,  and  Minna;  the  sloops  were  Newburgh 
and  Mist,  The  last,  of  44  tons,  was  the  only  one 
to  complete  the  course  within  eight  hours,  her 
time  being  7:  37:00. 

On  the  following  day  a  second  race  was  sailed 
under  the  same  conditions,  the  starters  being 
the  schooners  Gimcrack,  Hornet,  Minna,  Siren, 
Coquette,  and  Cygnet ;  the  sloops  Mist,  Pearsall, 
Ann  Maria,  and  Dart,  The  order  at  the  finish 
was   Gimcrack,  Mist,  Hornet,  Dart;  Hornet,  of 


32 


American  Yachting 


25  tons,  owned  by  Mr.  A.  Barker,  winning  on 
allowance.  The  three  sloops  Pearsall,  Ann 
Maria,  and  Dart  were  apparently  not  yachts, 
but  working  boats  admitted  to  the  race. 

What  would  now  be  called  the  "fall  regatta" 
of  the  club,  sailed  on  October  6,  1846,  was  a  most 
interesting  race,  the  first  "  Corinthian  "  or  amateur 
race  sailed  in  America,  and  the  official  record  is 
worth  a  place  here,  especially  as  Maria  began  her 
racing  career. 

FIRST  AMATEUR   (CORINTHIAN)   REGATTA 


NEW  YORK   YACHT  CLUB 
October  6th^  1846 

For  a  cup  subscribed  for  by  members  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club. 

None  but  members  to  sail  and  handle  their  yachts. 

The  allowance  of  time  on  this  occasion  was  reduced  to  45  seconds  per  ton, 
custom-house  measurement. 

The  course  was  from  a  stake-boat  (the  Gimcrack)  anchored  off  the  club- 
house, Elysian  Fields,  thence  to  and  around  a  stake-boat  anchored  off  Fort 
Washington  Point,  thence  to  and  around  a  stake-boat  anchored  in  the  Nar- 
rows, turning  it  from  the  east,  and  return  to  the  place  of  starting,  whole  distance 
40  miles. 


Rig 

Name 

Owner 

g 

^ 

Start 

Ft. 
Wash. 
Point 

Nar- 
rows 

Finish 

Act- 

UAL 

Time 

Sloop 

Sloop 

Schooner 

Schooner 

Schooner 

Schooner 

Maria 

Lancet 

Siren 

Cygnet 

Spray 

La  Coquille 

John  C.  Stevens 
Geo.  B.  Rollins 
W.  E.  Miller 
D.  L.  Suydam 
Hamilton  Wilkes 
John  C.  Jay 

160 
20 
72 
45 
37 
27 

10.58.20 
10.00.00 
10.21.40 
10.10.45 
10.07.05 
10.02.35 

11.54.00 
10.54.00 
11.17.00 
11.05.00 

II.OI.OO 

10.58.00 

2.38.10 

248.55 
2.38.00 
2.40.00 
2.45.00 

4.02.45 
4-36.09 
4.24.20 
4.26.15 
4.28.31 
4.29.12 

5.04.2s 
6.36.09 
6.02.40 

6.15.30 
6.21.26 
6.26.27 

The  Birth  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club    33 

The  tide  at  starting  was  at  the  last  of  the  flood.    Tide  turning  ebb  at  12  m. 
Wind  strong  from  southwest. 

The  Maria  won,  beating  the  Siren  58  minutes  and  15  seconds  on  actual 
time. 

Regatta  Committee: 

George  L.  Schuyler. 
Andrew  Foster,  Jr. 
William  E.  Laight. 


The  season  of  1847  opened  with  a  match 
race,  on  May  25,  over  the  club  course,  for  ^500 
a  side  between  the  schooners  Sibyl,  of  42  tons, 
Mr.  C.  Miller,  and  Cygnet,  45  tons,  Mr.  D. 
L.  Suydam,  the  former  winning.  On  May  31a 
second  match  followed,  over  the  same  course  and 
for  the  same  stakes,  between  Cygnet  and  Cornelia, 
of  90  tons,  built  the  previous  year  for  Mr.  William 
Edgar.  Cor^telia  took  the  ground  off  Ellis 
Island  shortly  after  the  start  and  was  out  of  the 
race.  The  annual  regatta,  was  sailed  on  June  2, 
the  yachts  being  divided  into  three  classes,  but 
not  on  the  basis  of  rig.  The  first  class,  of  large 
yachts,  included  the  schooners  Cornelia  and  Siren 
and  the  sloop  Maria;  the  second  class  included 
the  new  sloop  Una  with  five  of  the  older  schooners 
and  sloops ;  and  the  third  class  was  open  to  ves- 
sels, apparently  not  necessarily  yachts,  not  enrolled 
in  the  club.  The  winners  were  Maria,  Una,  and 
Dart, 


34 


American  Yachting 


The  Corinthian  race  was  repeated  in  the  fall, 
the  record  being :  — 


SECOND  AMATEUR    (CORINTHIAN)   REGATTA 

OF  THE 

NEW  YORK   YACHT  CLUB 

October  12th,  1847 
(Over  the  New  York  Yacht  Qub  Course) 

For  a  prize  subscribed  to  and  presented  by  the  non-yacht-owners  of  the 
Club.  The  yachts  to  be  manned  and  sailed  exclusively  by  members,  allowing 
each  yacht  a  pilot. 

Edward  Center, 
Lewis  M.  Rutherfurd, 

N.  P.  HOSACK, 

Regatta  Committee. 

Entries 


Rig 

Name 

Owner 

Start 

Staten 
Island 
Stake- 
boat 

Long 
Island 
Stake- 
boat 

S.W. 
Sprit 

Home 
Stake- 
boat 

Schooner 

Schooner 

Schooner 

Schooner 

Sloop 

Schooner 

Schooner 

Gimcrack 

Dream 

Spray 

Cygnet 

Una 

Siren 

Cornelia 

J.  C.  Stevens 
Geo.  L.  Schuyler 
Hamilton  Wilkes 
John  R.  Suydam 
J.  M.  Waterbury 
W.  E.  Miller 
William  Edgar 

25 
28 

37 
45 
59 
72 

94 

10.00.00 
10.02.00 
10.04.00 
10.06.00 
10.08.00 
10.10.00 
10.12.00 

12.19.23 

12.04.55 
12.06.35 
1 1.40. 1 1 
12.07.02 
12.21. 11 

12.12.10 
12.13.52 
11.47.00 
12.14.22 

1.28.43 
2.02.05 

4.28.28 

343.40 
4.23.00 

The  Dream,  Gimcrack,  Cygnet,  and  Cornelia  did  not  finish  the  race.    The 
Cygnet  ran  aground  on  Staten  Island  and  injured  the  keel. 
Wind  fresh  from  the  west. 
Sloop  Una  won  the  prize,  a  silver  cup. 

The  fleet  now  included  a  number  of  yachts, 
those   modelled  wholly  or  in   part   or  built   by 


The  Birth  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club    35 

George  Steers  being  Gimcrack,  La  Coquille,  of 
44  feet  6  inches  length,  Cornelia,  of  74  feet  length, 
and  the  sloop  Una,  a  centre-board  boat  65  feet  on 
the  water-line,  17  feet  8  inches  breadth,  6  feet 
3  inches  depth,  and  6  feet  5  inches  draft;  her 
tonnage  being  46  tons. 

The  schooners  Coquette  and  Brenda,  both  keel 
boats,  were  modelled  and  built  by  Winde  & 
Clinkard,  the  former  being  66  feet  long  and  of  76 
tons,  the  latter  48  feet  long.  Small  as  she  was, 
she  has  a  notable  record;  in  1849  she  cruised  to 
Bermuda  and  there  sailed  a  match  with  the  British 
yacht  Pearl,  winning  by  fifty-five  seconds,  this  be- 
ing the  first  Anglo-American  international  match. 
The  schooner  Spray,  37  tons,  and  49  feet  8  inches 
over  all,  was  built  by  Brown  &  Bell,  ship-builders, 
of  New  York.  There  appears  in  the  club  records 
about  this  time  the  schooner  Hornet,  and  a  little 
later  the  schooner  Sport,  both  of  about  25  tons. 
The  two  are  one  and  the  same  vessel,  her  origin 
being  said  to  date  back  to  18 19,  when  she  was 
built  in  Baltimore  under  the  name  of  Hornet, 
being  rebuilt  by  George  Steers  in  1847  ^^<^  again 
in  1850,  when  she  was  renamed  Sport,  She  sur- 
vived for  many  years  after  this,  being  used  on  the 
eastern  coast,  but  her  final  fate  is  uncertain. 


36  American  Yachting 

The  measurement  of  the  yachts  of  this  day, 
the  custom-house  tonnage,  was  very  irregular  and 
unreliable,  the  yachts  being  entered  at  different 
figures  for  no  apparent  reason.  Alterations  were 
frequent,  very  radical  changes  being  made  in  com- 
paratively new  boats  by  owners  who  evidently 
were  not  satisfied  with  their  craft. 

The  term  of  office  of  Commodore  Stevens  lasted 
until  1854,  in  which  year  WilHam  Edgar  was 
elected  in  his  place,  holding  the  office  until  1859, 
when  he  gave  way  to  Edwin  A.  Stevens,  who  con- 
tinued until  1866.  On  February  16,  1865,  the 
club  was  incorporated  "  for  the  purpose  of  encour- 
aging yacht  building  and  naval  architecture  and 
the  cultivation  of  naval  science."  The  old  Ho- 
boken  club-house  was  abandoned  in  1868,  the 
club  establishing  itself  on  the  wooded  bluff  at 
Clifton,  Staten  Island,  overlooking  the  Narrows, 
the  old  house  being  used  for  many  years  by  a 
younger  club,  the  New  Jersey  Yacht  Club;  at 
the  present  time  it  is  again  in  the  possession  of 
the  New  York  Yacht  Club. 

Tlie  first  city  quarters  of  the  club  were  estab- 
lished in  1 87 1  in  the  house  of  the  Jockey  Club, 
on  the  corner  of  Madison  Avenue  and  27th  Street. 
After  the  death  of  Commodore  Garner,  in  1876, 


The  Birth  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club    37 

the  club  station,  then  on  the  dock  at  Stapleton, 
Staten  Island,  was  abandoned  ;  and  for  many  years 
the  club  had  no  waterside  station.  In  1884  it 
moved  into  the  building  at  67  Madison  Avenue, 
where  it  was  comfortably  housed  until  it  outgrew 
the  limited  quarters  as  a  consequence  of  the  great 
increase  of  membership  resulting  from  the  America 
Cup  matches  of  1885,  1886,  and  1887.  In  1901  it 
moved  into  the  magnificent  house  specially  built  by 
it  on  West  44th  Street, — the  finest  building  of  the 
kind  in  the  world.  After  the  abandonment  of  a 
permanent  waterside  station  the  club  established 
landing-places  for  the  convenience  of  its  members 
off  the  principal  New  York  anchorage  grounds,  at 
Staten  Island,  Bay  Ridge,  and  on  the  East  River. 
At  the  present  time  it  maintains  a  very  perfect 
system  of  club  stations  at  all  the  important  ports 
between  New  York  and  Vineyard  Haven,  each 
with  a  house  giving  temporary  shelter  to  mem- 
bers, with  telephone  connection,  etc.,  and  a  land- 
ing-stage. 

For  twenty  years  the  New  York  Yacht  Club 
was  the  one  organized  representative  of  American 
yachting.  The  Southern  Yacht  Club,  of  New  Or- 
leans, was  organized  as  early  as  1849,  but  its  influ- 
ence has  always  been  local;  the  North  Carolina 


38  American  Yachting 

Yacht  Club  was  organized  in  1854,  but  it,  too, 
was  necessarily  a  local  club.  In  1857  ^^^  Brook- 
lyn Yacht  Club  was  organized,  followed  in  1858 
by  the  Jersey  City  Yacht  Club;  but  it  was  not 
until  the  close  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  that 
clubs  became  numerous,  between  1866  and  1872 
many  clubs  being  formed  along  the  Atlantic  sea- 
board. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE    BUILDING   OF   THE   AMERICA 

Through  the  work  thus  outUned  on  the  part 
of  John  C.  and  Edwin  A.  Stevens  and  their 
associates  in  the  club,  and  of  George  Steers, 
American  yachting  was  established  upon  solid 
foundations  of  fair  sporting  usage  and  technical 
progress;  regattas  and  private  matches  were 
common  among  the  larger  yachts,  and  modellers 
and  builders  were  encouraged  to  work  for  the 
improvement  of  the  craft.  The  public  interest 
awakened  by  the  racing  of  such  yachts  as  Maria, 
Cornelia,  and  Una  found  expression  in  the 
general  racing  of  small  open  boats  in  New 
York  waters. 

The  yachts  differed  widely  in  model,  many 
being  keel  boats  of  the  general  type  of  the  pilot- 
boats  and  fishing-boats,  while  others  followed  the 
shoal  freighting  smacks  of  the  day ;  but  all  were 
of  the  "  cod's  head  and  mackerel's  tail "  model. 
The  evolution  of  a  distinctive  yacht  type  pro- 
gressed but  slowly,  the  keel  holding  its  own  for  a 

39 


The  Building  of  the  America  41 

time,  though  local  conditions,  as  exemplified  in 
the  shoal  waters  of  the  anchorage  ground  and  of 
parts  of  New  York  Harbor  where  short  cuts 
were  possible  to  yachts  of  light  draft,  with  the 
reaching  course  down  the  river  and  back,  all 
tended  toward  the  one  dominant  type  that  pre- 
vailed from   i860  to  1880. 

The  first  experiment  with  the  comparatively 
fine  bow  of  Gimcrack,  followed  by  the  success  of 
the  Mary  Taylor,  the  Hagstaff,  the  Grinnell  dindi 
other  Steers  pilot-boats,  wrought  a  great  change 
in  the  principles  of  modelling,  and  about  1850 
yachtsmen  began  to  lengthen  the  bows  of  their 
craft.  In  that  year  Maria  was  taken  in  hand, 
and  her  over-all  length  was  increased  from  92 
to  1 10  feet,  giving  her  a  hollow  bow  in  place  of 
the  old  bluff  one. 

The  project  for  a  great  world's  fair,  the  first 
of  the  kind,  to  be  held  in  London  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  was  well  known  in  America,  and  invi- 
tations had  been  received  by  the  representatives 
of  various  industries  to  take  part  in  what  was 
planned  to  be  an  exposition  of  the  world's  prog- 
ress in  arts  and  manufactures.  The  reputation 
of  the  New  York  pilot-boats,  familiar  to  every 
seaman   on   British   steamers  and   packets,   had 


42  American  Yachting 

extended  to  England;  and  in  the  fall  of  1850  the 
suggestion  was  made  by  a  British  merchant  to 
some  of  his  New  York  correspondents  that  one 
of  these  boats  should  be  sent  to  England  to  take 
part  in  the  races  planned  as  an  auxiliary  feature 
of  the  exhibition.  This  letter  was  laid  before 
Commodore  Stevens  and  Mr.  George  L.  Schuy- 
ler, who  immediately  fell  in  with  the  idea. 
Arrangements  were  made  for  the  building  of  a 
representative  craft,  to  be  modelled  by  George 
Steers  and  built  under  his  supervision.  At  this 
time,  just  after  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  of 
Hathorne  &  Steers,  Mr.  Steers  was  employed  in 
the  yard  of  William  H.  Brown,  at  the  foot  of 
East  12th  Street,  New  York,  and  the  con- 
tract for  the  construction  of  the  proposed  vessel 
was  made  with  Mr.  Brown. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  in  those  days,  when 
yachting  was  mainly  supported  by  the  individual 
efforts  of  a  few  men,  even  a  yacht  club  being 
still  an  experiment,  there  should  have  been 
formed  a  "syndicate,"  such  as  is  now  common 
in  the  defence  of  the  America  Cup.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  first  yachting  syndicate  were  Com- 
modore John  C.  Stevens,  Edwin  A.  Stevens, 
George  L.  Schuyler,  Colonel  James  A.  Hamilton, 


The  Building  of  the  America  43 

J.  Beekman  Finley,  and  Hamilton  Wilkes.  The 
yacht  was  to  be  named  America,  the  author  of 
this  suggestion  being  unknown,  though  it  evi- 
dently appealed  to  all  as  a  suitable  name. 

Instead  of  following  the  model  of  Maria  or 
Una,  it  was  decided  to  build  virtually  a  pilot- 
boat,  of  about  140  tons,  a  keel  craft  in  every 
way  fitted  for  the  ocean  voyage.  The  contract 
was  a  peculiar  one,  and  distinctly  to  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  ''  syndicate  " ;  the  price  of  the 
yacht  completely  equipped  for  sea  and  furnished 
was  to  be  $30,000;  when  ready  for  sea  she  was 
to  be  tried  by  an  "  umpire,"  Mr.  Hamilton  Wilkes, 
for  a  period  of  twenty  days  at  the  expense  of 
the  syndicate ;  and  if  she  should  not  prove  faster 
than  any  other  vessel  in  the  United  States,  the 
syndicate  should  be  under  no  obligation  to  accept 
or  pay  for  her.  It  was  further  provided  that  if 
the  preliminary  trial  should  prove  satisfactory 
the  syndicate  might  take  her  to  Europe,  race  her 
there,  and,  if  not  successful,  return  her  to  the 
builder,  merely  paying  the  expenses  of  the  trip. 
A  special  stipulation  was  made  to  the  effect  that 
the  yacht  should  be  ready  for  trial  by  April  i,  185 1. 

It  is  perhaps  unnecessary  to  say  that  the 
yacht  was  not  ready  by  the  appointed  date,  nor 


44  American  Yachting 

even  by  May  i,  to  which  time  the  agreement 
was  extended ;  she  was  not  launched  until 
May  3,  and  on  May  24,  Mr.  Schuyler,  who  had 
charge  of  the  negotiations,  made  a  flat  offer  to 
purchase  her  outright  for  the  sum  of  $20,000  in 
cash,  provided  that  she  were  delivered,  "  finished 
as  per  contract,  equipped  and  ready  for  sea,"  on 
or  before  the  second  day  of  June.  Even  this 
late  condition  was  not  complied  with,  and  only 
on  June  18  was  the  yacht  delivered  to  her 
owners.  Prior  to  this,  however,  the  new  yacht 
had  been  tested  in  a  series  of  informal  trials 
against  Maria,  on  New  York  Bay,  and  she  had 
met  some  of  the  other  yachts  of  the  club.  That 
Maria  won  very  easily  was  but  natural ;  she  was 
a  larger  yacht,  presumably  in  good  racing  form 
and  known  to  her  skipper  and  crew,  and  in  type 
and  rig  she  was  specially  adapted  to  the  course. 
The  new  yacht  was  of  a  different  type  and  rig, 
designed  for  sea-going ;  she  was  but  partially  com- 
pleted, and  there  had  been  no  time  for  tuning 
up.  In  her  trials  with  other  yachts  of  the  day 
America  proved  more  successful,  and  her  owners 
were  evidently  in  no  way  discouraged  by  the 
showing  against  Maria,  as  they  vigorously  pushed 
the  preparations  for  the  projected  voyage. 


The  Building  of  the  America  45 

It  would  be  unfair  to  class  George  Steers  as 
a  "  rule-o'-thumb  "  builder  according  to  the  mean- 
ing of  the  term  in  recent  years,  as  the  majority 
of  those  so  designated  were  men  who,  with  a 
very  limited  knowledge  of  naval  architecture, 
were  wedded  to  some  one  special  model  or  fad, 
after  which  all  their  vessels,  regardless  of  size 
or  use,  were  fashioned.  He,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  ever  busy  with  experiments  and  open  to 
the  reception  of  new  ideas,  his  work  showing 
a  regular  progress  toward  better  things.  At 
the  same  time,  his  methods  were  those  of  the 
"rule-o'-thumb"  builder  as  distinguished  from 
those  of  the  modern  yacht  designer.  While  he 
was  skilled  in  ordinary  ship  drafting  and  mould- 
loft  practice,  the  basis  of  his  work  was  the 
half-model  cut  in  miniature  from  the  solid  block 
of  pine.  From  this  model  the  measurements  of 
the  keel,  stem,  counter,  and  sections  were  taken 
by  him,  and  the  lines  were  laid  down  full  size 
on  the  floor  of  the  mould  loft,  the  moulds  for  the 
timbers  being  made  from  these  lines.  It  was  his 
custom,  we  are  told,  not  merely  to  alter  the 
lines  as  they  were  laid  down  by  himself  or 
under  his  personal  direction,  filling  out  in  one 
place  or  fining   the   form  in  another;  but  after 


46  "  American  Yachting 

the  vessel  was  in  frame  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
make  further  alterations  if  the  desirability  sug- 
gested itself. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  make  sense  of  the  cryptic 
saying  attributed  to  him,  "  that  for  a  vessel  to  sail 
easily,  steadily,  and  rapidly,  the  displacement  of 
water  must  be  nearly  uniform  along  the  lines." 
As  a  matter  of  fact  the  displacement  and  conse- 
quent replacement  are  not  uniform,  but  first 
increase  and  then  decrease  in  rapidly  varying 
ratios ;  but  we  know  that  he  placed  a  high  value 
upon  the  "diagonals,"  or  more  properly  the 
"dividing  lines,"  as  shown  by  the  temporary 
"  ribbands  "  used  to  hold  the  frames  in  place,  and 
by  the  general  run  of  the  plank  edges,  in  this 
respect  being  in  accord  with  the  practice  of  the 
designers  of  to-day.  It  would  appear  that  special 
fads  and  fancies  as  to  a  particular  form  of  mid- 
ship section,  bow  lines,  or  run  were  subordinated 
in  his  mind  to  the  idea  of  producing  an  easy  and 
gradual  flow  of  water  at  the  bow,  passing  partly 
under  and  partly  around  the  middle  body  with  an 
increasing  speed,  and  gradually  losing  its  mo- 
mentum as  it  came  up  from  below  to  fill  the 
hollow  made  by  the  middle  body.  The  wide 
variety  of  his  work  and  the  excellence  of  many 


The  Building  of  the  America  47 

individual  vessels  prove  that  he  sought  to  work 
from  the  broad  principles  of  naval  architecture, 
rather  than  from  narrow  localisms  and  personal 
fads. 

It  is  probable  that  each  vessel  was  the  result 
of  careful  thought  and  deliberation ;  but  the  pres- 
ent system,  by  which  a  design  is  worked  out  on 
paper  to  the  most  minute  detail  of  form,  con- 
struction, sparring,  rigging,  and  fitting,  with  speci- 
fications from  which  any  builder  may  execute 
the  work,  was  unknown  at  that  time.  As  a  con- 
sequence, most  of  the  data  relating  to  the  design 
of  America  were  a  matter  of  personal  knowledge 
on  the  part  of  her  designer,  never  being  com- 
mitted to  paper.  There  is  no  reliable  building 
model  of  her  extant,  nor  are  there  any  working 
drawings.  Many  copies  of  her  lines,  of  more  or 
less  doubtful  authenticity,  have  been  published, 
most  of  them  presenting  glaring  discrepancies. 
The  design  here  given  is  said  to  have  been  taken 
secretly  by  the  draftsmen  of  a  yard  at  which  the 
yacht  was  docked  for  a  short  time,  in  England, 
the  work  being  done  without  the  knowledge  of 
the  then  owner,  who,  when  approached  afterward 
on  the  subject  of  having  such  a  record  of  the 
actual  form  of  the  yacht,  refused  to  consider  such 


48 


American  Yachting 


an  idea;  consequently  the  fact  of  the  lines  hav- 
ing already  been  taken  was  kept  as  a  secret  of 
the  yard  for  many  years.  These  lines  in  their 
original  form  give  evidence  of  the  handiwork  of 
skilled  draftsmen,  and  they  agree  substantially 
with  the  most  reliable  plans  and  information  de- 
rived from  various  other  sources.  The  dimen- 
sions given  according  to  modern  methods  are  as 
follows :  — 


Feet 


Inches 


Length,  over  all     . 
Length,  load  water-line 
Overhang,  forward 
Overhang,  aft 
Breadth,  extreme 
Breadth,  load  water-line 
Freeboard,  bow     . 
Freeboard,  least    . 
Freeboard,  taffrail 
Draft,  extreme 


lOI 

9 

90 

3 

5 

6 

6 

— 

23 

— 

22 

6 

7 

6 

3 

9 

5 

6 

II 

— 

The  freeboard  as  given  is  to  the  deck,  above 
this  was  a  bulwark  and  rail  fourteen  inches  high ; 
the  greatest  breadth  was  about  halfway  between 
the  deck  and  the  water,  the  bows  having  a  fine 
bold  flare,  while  the  topsides  tumbled  in  a  little 
amidships  and  considerably  more  on  the  counter. 


The  Building  of  the  America  49 

The  fore  overhang  was  short  in  itself  and  in- 
cluded very  little  false  work  in  the  way  of  clipper 
stem  or  figurehead ;  the  counter  was  very  short, 
as  in  the  pilot-boats  of  a  much  later  date.  The 
depth  or  keel  outside  the  rabbet  was  2  feet  4 
inches,  all  of  wood,  the  ballast  being  iron  stowed 
inside. 

The  hull  was  built  of  the  woods  in  common 
use  about  New  York,  oak,  hackmatack,  locust, 
cedar,  yellow  and  white  pine.  The  planking 
was  of  white  oak,  3  inches  thick.  The  deck  is 
described  as  of  yellow  pine,  2  J  inches  thick ;  but 
this  is  probably  an  error,  white  pine  being  then 
in  universal  use  for  all  small  vessels.  Clamps 
and  deck  beams  were  of  yellow  pine,  the  rails  of 
white  oak,  6  by  3  inches,  and  the  coamings  and 
deck  fittings  of  mahogany.  The  bottom  was 
coppered  to  a  point  6  inches  above  the  water- 
line,  and  the  topsides  were  painted  in  lead  color, 
probably  merely  one  of  the  priming  coats ;  after 
arriving  at  Havre  they  were  repainted  black.  On 
the  stern  was  a  large  figure  of  an  eagle,  gilded, 
with  two  white  banners  in  his  talons  and  wreaths 
of  green  flowers  or  leaves ;  this  trophy  ultimately 
found  a  permanent  resting-place  as  the  signboard 
of  the  Eagle  Hotel,  at  Ryde,  Isle  of  Wight. 


50  American  Yachting 

The  arrangement  below  was  patterned  after 
the  pilot-boats.  There  was  an  oval  cockpit,  shown 
in  the  plans  referred  to  as  of  lo  feet  in  fore-and- 
aft  length  and  extending  into  the  counter,  the 
rudder  post  coming  up  through  it;  from  this  a 
companion  led  to  the  steerage,  with  a  bath-room 
to  starboard  and  a  clothes-room  to  port ;  the  sail 
locker  being  in  the  lazarette,  beneath  the  cock- 
pit. The  main  saloon  extended  to  the  mainmast, 
being  i8  feet  in  length  and  of  the  full  width  of 
the  ship;  it  was  fitted  with  lockers  and  six  berths. 
The  headroom  aft  was  about  6  feet  6  inches,  but 
there  was  a  break  in  the  deck  just  forward  of  the 
mainmast,  reducing  the  headroom  to  6  feet  in 
the  middle  and  forward  part  of  the  vessel.  For- 
ward of  the  main  saloon  were  four  staterooms, 
each  nearly  eight  feet  square,  and  forward  of 
them  were  the  galley  and  pantry.  The  fore  com- 
panion was  placed  nearly  amidships,  between  the 
masts,  and  over  the  galley,  the  forecastle  extend- 
ing well  abaft  the  foremast.  Here  there  were 
berths  for  fifteen.  There  was  a  circular  skylight 
over  the  forecastle,  just  abaft  the  foremast,  and 
a  large,  square  skylight  over  the  saloon. 

The  mainmast  was  8i  feet  long,  the  foremast 
79  feet  6  inches,  and  the  bowsprit  32  feet.     The 


The  Building  of  the  America  51 

masts  had  an  excessive  rake,  2^  inches  to  the 
foot.  The  main  boom  was  58  feet  long,  the  main 
gaff  26  feet,  and  the  fore  gaff  24  feet,  there  being 
no  boom  on  the  foresail ;  there  was  a  light  main- 
topmast,  but  no  foretopmast,  and  a  large  single 
jib.  The  sails  were  made  by  R.  H.  Wilson,  of 
New  York,  the  total  area  being  5263  square  feet 
in  mainsail,  foresail,  and  jib.  With  the  racing 
gear,  they  were  stowed  in  the  hold  on  leaving 
New  York,  some  old  sails  of  the  Mary  Taylor 
being  used  for  the  ocean  passage. 

At  8  A.M.  on  June  21,  1851,  the  yacht  left  her 
builder's  yard  and  was  taken  in  tow  by  a  steamer, 
which  left  her  outside  Sandy  Hook  at  11  a.m. 
There  were  thirteen  persons  on  board,  Captain 
"  Dick  "  Brown,  the  skipper  (a  Sandy  Hook  pilot 
and  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Mary  Taylor), 
Nelson  Comstock,  the  mate,  a  crew  of  six  before 
the  mast,  and  a  cook  and  a  steward.  As  passen- 
gers went  George  Steers,  his  brother,  James  R. 
Steers,  and  the  latter's  young  son,  Henry  Steers, 
then  fifteen  years  old,  who  afterward  made  a  name 
for  himself  as  a  successful  ship-builder  and  busi- 
ness man. 

The  yacht  was  bound  for  Havre,  and  she 
reached  there  in  good  season,  the  voyage  taking 


52  American  Yachting 

but  twenty-one  days.  Commodore  Stevens,  with 
his  brother  Edwin  and  Colonel  Hamilton,  the 
father-in-law  of  Mr.  Schuyler,  had  preceded  them 
by  steamer,  spending  a  couple  of  weeks  in  Paris 
and  joining  the  yacht  on  her  arrival.  Three 
weeks  were  spent  at  Havre  in  refitting  the  vessel, 
bending  the  racing  sails,  painting,  and  making 
ready  for  racing;  then,  on  July  31,  she  weighed 
anchor  and  stood  across  the  English  Channel  to 
the  Solent. 


CHAPTER   V 

THE   WINNING   OF   THE    SQUADRON    CUP 

There  was  no  wind  on  the  morning  of  Au- 
gust I,  when  the  Americas  party  was  first  astir, 
but  a  breeze  about  9  o'clock  brought  a  visitor  in 
the  shape  of  the  cutter  Laverock,  then  a  new  boat, 
of  about  70  tons,  which  came  out  from  Cowes  to 
try  the  mettle  of  the  invader,  whose  coming  had 
already  been  heralded  among  British  yachts- 
men. The  spirit  of  the  Americas  owners  is 
clearly  shown  by  the  fact  that  while  it  was  mani- 
festly to  their  advantage  to  conceal  the  true 
speed  of  their  yacht,  and  there  was  nothing  un- 
sportsmanlike in  such  a  course,  they  preferred  to 
accept  this  first  empty  challenge,  though  handi- 
capped by  the  stores  carried  across  the  ocean,  the 
schooner  being  some  inches  below  her  designed 
water-line  and  the  breeze  being  light.  Without  a 
word  on  either  side,  it  was  a  race  from  the  time 
the  Yankee  weighed  anchor,  after  waiting  until 
it  was  evident  that  she  would  not  be  allowed  to 
start  without  giving  a  test  of  her  speed. 

53 


54  American  Yachting 

At  the  time  when  the  "New  Deed  of  Gift" 
was  the  subject  of  some  bitter  criticism  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic,  in  1 887-1 888,  the  term  "prac- 
tical yachtsmen  "  was  introduced  into  the  contro- 
versy by  some  of  the  Boston  defenders  of  the 
"  New  Deed,"  being  applied  to  yachtsmen  who, 
though  sailing  literally  within  the  rules,  measured 
well  the  chances  of  success  before  starting  in  a 
race,  and  waived  no  advantages,  however  unfair, 
which  increased  their  chances  of  winning.  It  is 
evident  that  Commodore  Stevens  and  his  asso- 
ciates were  made  of  different  stuff ;  in  this  case 
they  had  nothing  to  gain  and  everything  to  lose 
by  disclosing  the  true  quality  of  their  yacht  to  the 
inquisitive  Laverock,  and  they  would  have  vio- 
lated no  ethics  of  sport  in  employing  the  little 
tricks  of  sailing  to  such  an  end  that  they  should 
be  outsailed. 

Thirty  years  later,  when  the  little  Scotch  cut- 
ter Madge  was  sent  out  from  Glasgow  to  New 
York  on  a  similar  voyage  of  conquest,  her  man- 
agement was  intrusted  by  her  owner  to  James 
Duncan,  an  exceptionally  discreet  and  skilful 
Scotch  skipper.  After  fitting  her  out  at  New 
York  he  sailed  her  about  the  Bay  day  after  day, 
having  pleasant  little  brushes  with  different  fast 


The  America  Cup. 

Originally  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron  Cup  of  1851,  offered  for  an  open  race  of 
yachts  of  all  classes  around  the  Isle  of  Wight. 


The  Winning  of  the  Squadron  Cup      57 

sloops,  all  of  which  easily  beat  the  visitor,  to  the 
vast  amusement  of  American  yachtsmen.  It  was 
not  until  several  matches  were  made  and  the  first 


America  as  Originally  Rigged. 

one  actually  sailed  that  the  owners  of  the  sloops 
awoke  to  the  fact  that  the  wily  Duncan  had  made 
fools  of  them  as  well  as  of  the  newspapers,  by 
killing  the  speed  of  his  boat  in  the  informal 
trials. 


58  American  Yachting 

A  similar  course  on  the  part  of  Commodore 
Stevens  would  have  enabled  the  party  to  clinch 
some  matches  with  the  British  yachts,  the  object 
of  their  long  voyage ;  but  such  a  course  was  never 
thought  of,  and  this  first  rather  impertinent  and 
pointless  challenge  was  accepted  in  earnest. 

At  the  dinner  given  in  their  honor  after  the 
return  to  New  York,  Commodore  Stevens  de- 
scribed the  incident  in  words  well  worth  quoting : 
"  During  the  first  five  minutes  not  a  sound  was 
heard  save,  perhaps,  the  beating  of  our  anxious 
hearts  or  the  slight  ripple  of  the  water  upon  her 
swordlike  stem.  The  captain  (Dick  Brown)  was 
crouched  down  upon  the  floor  of  the  cockpit,  his 
seemingly  unconscious  hand  upon  the  tiller,  with 
his  stern,  unaltering  gaze  upon  the  vessel  ahead. 
The  men  were  motionless  as  statues,  their  eager 
eyes  fastened  upon  the  Laverock  with  a  fixedness 
and  intensity  that  seemed  almost  supernatural. 
The  pencil  of  an  artist  might,  perhaps,  convey 
the  expression,  but  no  words  can  describe  it.  It 
could  not  and  did  not  last  long.  We  worked 
quickly  and  surely  to  windward  of  her  wake ;  the 
crisis  was  past,  and  some  dozen  of  deep-drawn 
sighs  proved  that  the  agony  was  over." 

Brief  as  it  was,  this  race  measured  the  wonder- 


The  Winning  of  the  Squadron  Cup      59 

ful  windward  powers  of  the  visitor  and  made  it 
impossible  for  her  to  make  any  matches  with  the 
British  yachts.  Every  courtesy  and  the  warmest 
hospitality  were  showered  upon  the  party,  the 
yacht  was  praised  by  the  English  papers,  and  the 
members  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron  and  all 
other  yacht  owners  were  condemned  for  the  lack 
of  spirit  which  led  them  to  decline  a  friendly 
contest  with  the  single  daring  visitor. 

A  challenge  to  sail  the  America  against  any 
fleet  of  schooners  was  passed  unnoticed,  and  a 
second  and  more  specific  challenge  to  race  any 
yacht,  without  receiving  the  usual  allowance  for 
rig  from  cutters,  for  any  stake  from  a  simple  cup 
up  to  10,000  guineas,  met  the  same  fate.  The 
one  notable  exception  was  Robert  Stephenson, 
the  great  engineer,  who  made  a  match  to  sail  his 
schooner  Titania,  of  100  tons,  against  the  America 
for  ^100,  the  course  to  be  twenty  miles  out  and 
back  from  the  Nab  Light. 

It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  barely  a  week 
after  the  America  was  launched  in  New  York  the 
Royal  Yacht  Squadron  had  decided  to  offer  a 
cup  costing  100  guineas  as  a  prize  for  a  race 
around  the  Isle  of  Wight,  to  be  open  to  yachts  of 
all  nations.     The  date  of  this  race  had  been  set 


6o  American  Yachting 

for  August  2  2,  and  when,  after  a  couple  of  weeks, 
it  became  evident  that  no  matches  could  be  made 
with  the  representative  yachts  of  the  Squadron, 
the  America  party,  though  anxious  to  return 
home,  determined  to  start  in  this  race  if  the  wind 
were  not  too  light. 

The  day  'came,  and  it  was  Friday  too,  with  a 
light  westerly  breeze,  the  course  being  from  off 
Cowes  to  the  eastward,  passing  inside  the  Noman 
and  Sandhead  buoys,  and,  according  to  the  printed 
programme,  outside  the  Nab  light-ship,  moored 
some  three  miles  east  of  the  Isle  of  Wight.  After 
the  finish  a  protest  was  made  against  the  America 
by  Mr.  George  Ackers,  owner  of  the  big  schooner 
Brilliant,  on  the  ground  that  she  had  not  passed 
outside  the  Nab  light-ship,  which  was  a  fact ;  but 
the  protest  was  dismissed  by  the  committee,  as  it 
was  proved  that  the  instructions  given  to  Com- 
modore Stevens  made  no  mention  of  this  mark. 
Twenty  years  later,  in  the  second  match  for  the 
recapture  of  the  Cup,  a  somewhat  similar  protest 
was  made  by  the  challenger,  Mr.  Ashbury. 

The  fleet  that  met  the  Yankee  schooner  on 
August  22,  1851,  was  a  representative  one,  not  of 
the  best  of  the  British  racing  yachts  of  the  day, 
but  of  the  yachts  then  owned  by  the  most  promi- 


The  Winning  of  the  Squadron  Cup     6i 

nent  yachtsmen  and  regularly  raced  in  the  Queen's 
Cup  and  other  important  events  of  each  yachting 
season.     The  list  of  starters  was  as  follows :  — 


Yacht 

Rig 

Tonnage 

Owner 

Beatrice     .     .     . 

Schooner 

161 

Sir  W.  P.  Carew 

Volante      . 

Cutter 

48 

J.  L.  Cragie 

Arrow  .     . 

Cutter 

84 

T.  Chamberlayne 

Wyvern     . 

Schooner 

205 

Duke  of  Marlborough 

lone      .     . 

Schooner 

75 

A.  Hill 

Constance  . 

Schooner 

218 

Marquis  of  Conyngham 

Titania 

Schooner 

100 

Robert  Stephenson 

Gipsy  Queen 

Schooner 

160 

Sir  H.  B.  Hoghton 

Alarm    .     . 

Cutter 

193 

Joseph  Weld 

Mona     .     . 

Cutter 

82 

Lord  Alfred  Paget 

Brilliant     . 

Schooner,  3  masts 

392 

George  Ackers 

Bacchante 

Cutter 

80 

B.  H.  Jones 

Freak    .     . 

Cutter 

60 

W.  Curling 

Stella    .     . 

Cutter 

65 

R.  Frankland 

Eclipse  .     . 

Cutter 

50 

H.  S.  Fearon 

Fernande  . 

Schooner 

127 

Major  Martin 

Aurora  .     . 

Cutter 

47 

T.  Le  Merchant 

America     . 

Schooner 

170 

J.  C.  Stevens,  et  ah. 

This  fleet  included  all  gradations  of  size  and 
quality,  mostly  in  inverse  proportions ;  the  largest 
vessel,  Brilliant^  was  a  huge  old  cruising  craft, 
rigged  with  three  masts,  square  topsails  on  fore 
and  main,  a  promising  entry  for  a  race  largely  to 
windward  in  a  light  breeze.  On  the  other  hand 
Volante,  then  a  new  yacht,  and  Aurora,  about  a 


62  American  Yachting 

dozen  years  old,  were  smart  little  racing  cutters, 
embodying  the  best  practice  of  the  day.  Arrow, 
then  thirty  years  old,  and  Alarm,  some  eight 
years  younger,  were  noted  as  among  the  largest 
racing  cutters.  Titania,  then  a  new  yacht,  was 
comparatively  fine  forward,  being  built  to  test  the 
wave  line  theory  of  Mr.  John  Scott  Russell;  but 
she  was  then  an  experiment  and  by  no  means  a 
successful  one  owing  to  faulty  rig  and  other  de- 
tails. Practically  all  the  others  were  of  the  "  cod's 
head  and  mackerel's  tail"  model,  with  very  full 
bows.  Mosquito,  the  opening  wedge  in  England, 
as  the  Mary  Taylor  and  America  were  in  this 
country,  was  not  entered;  nor  had  she  then, 
though  four  years  old,  made  any  marked  repu- 
tation. 

All  of  these  vessels  were  alike  in  one  particular: 
their  sails  were  made  from  hand-woven  canvas,  of 
flax,  very  loose  in  texture,  and,  according  to  the 
universal  theory  of  the  day,  cut  with  excessive 
bag  or  fulness.  The  sails  of  the  America  were 
of  cotton,  woven  by  machine  into  a  hard,  even 
fabric,  and  cut  to  sit  as  flat  as  possible ;  though 
few  in  number  and  small  in  area,  they  were  most 
effective  drivers  off  the  wind ;  however,  owing  to 
the  excessive  rake  of  the  masts,  the  weight  of  the 


The  Winning  of  the  Squadron  Cup      63 

booms  caused  them  to  swing  inboard,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  boom  them  out  in  any  light  breeze. 

The  original  rig  included  only  the  single  big 
jib,  but  shortly  before  the  race  it  was  decided  to 
add  a  flying  jib-boom  and  flying  jib  or  jib  topsail. 
George  Steers  went  to  Michael  Ratsey,  the  yacht 
modeller  and  builder,  of  East  Cowes,  for  the  jib- 
boom,  and  by  way  of  payment  made  a  bet  with 
Ratsey  that  the  America  would  beat  any  schooner 
named  by  the  latter,  who  picked  Beatrice,  Steers 
then  went  to  a  sailmaker,  probably  one  of  the 
Ratsey  family  also,  and  bought  a  jib  topsail  on 
the  same  terms,  to  be  paid  for  only  in  the  event 
of  the  America  losing  the  race.  It  is  perhaps  as 
well  that  they  were  not  called  on  to  pay  for  either, 
as  they  seem  to  have  done  little  good.  The  yacht 
had  been  on  the  wind  but  a  short  time  when  about 
a  quarter  of  the  course  was  covered  before  a  fresh 
puff  of  wind  carried  away  the  new  jib-boom ;  to 
the  intense  satisfaction  of  "  Dick "  Brown,  ex- 
pressed in  the  remark  that  he  was  "d — d  glad 
that  it  was  gone,"  as  he  did  not  believe  in  carry- 
ing a  flying  jib  to  windward  —  a  piece  of  wisdom 
that  would  have  saved  many  a  good  topmast  in 
later  days  if  generally  recognized  by  skippers. 

The  yachts  were  moored  in  a  double  line,  mak- 


64  American  Yachting 

ing  sail  at  the  first  signal,  9.55,  and  casting  off 
moorings  at  the  starting  signal,  10  a.m.  Fernande 
was  not  present,  and  Titania  and  Stella  did  not 
start,  leaving  fifteen  yachts  in  all.  Gipsy  Queen 
was  first  away,  followed  by  Beatrice,  then  Volante, 
Constance,  and  Arrow,  America  started  slowly, 
her  crew  taking  their  time  at  first,  but  when  under 
way,  though  carrying  no  running  sails,  with  only 
her  three  lower  sails,  a  small  main  gaff  topsail, 
and  the  flying  jib,  she  soon  moved  toward  the 
head  of  the  fleet.  Yachts,  steamers,  and  other 
vessels  in  great  numbers  followed  the  race  through 
the  morning,  for  at  least  half  the  way  around  the 
island. 

At  the  Noman  Buoy,  about  7^  miles  from  the 
start,  the  order  was :  Volante,  Freak,  Aurora, 
Gipsy  Queen,  America,  Beatrice,  Alarm,  Arrow, 
and  Bacchante,  there  being  but  two  minutes  be- 
tween the  America  and  the  leader.  The  wind 
was  very  variable,  S.S.W.  in  general  direction,  as 
the  yachts  passed  to  the  south  of  the  island,  fresh- 
ening and  then  dying  away.  When  off  Ventnor 
on  the  southern  shore,  near  the  point  where  Bri- 
tannia and  Vigilant  fought  out  a  historic  luifing- 
match  forty-three  years  later,  the  America  led  her 
nearest  rival,  Aurora,  by  a  mile;   and  the  fleet 


The  Winning  of  the  Squadron  Cup      65 

had  been  reduced  in  number.  Wyvern  had  turned 
back  near  the  Noman  Buoy,  Volante  had  sprung 
her  bowsprit  and  withdrawn,  Arrow  was  ashore, 
and  Alarm  gave  up  and  went  to  her  assistance. 
Though  the  wind  fell  light  near  the  Needles  (the 
extreme  west  point  of  the  island)  and  a  light  haze 
covered  the  sea,  the  America  held  her  long  lead 
of  the  fleet,  Aurora  being  now  half  a  dozen  miles 
astern.  The  royal  yacht  Victoria  and  Albert,  with 
her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria  on  board,  came  out 
to  meet  the  yachts,  and  was  saluted  by  the  leader. 
The  wind  continued  light  through  the  early  even- 
ing, as  under  a  cloudy  sky  the  Yankee  yacht  made 
her  way  slowly  up  the  Solent  to  the  finish  line, 
where  she  was  timed  at  8 :  34,  the  band  playing 
"Yankee  Doodle."  On  the  way  up  the  Solent 
Aurora  had  gained,  finishing  at  8  :  58  ;  by  Ackers' 
Scale,  the  time  allowance  then  in  use,  she  would 
have  been  beaten  something  less  than  two  min- 
utes corrected  time  had  the  race  been  sailed  with 
allowance.  Bacchante  was  timed  at  9 :  30,  Eclipse 
at  9 :  45,  and  Brilliant  at  i :  20  on  Saturday  morn- 
ing ;  the  records  give  no  time  for  the  other  six. 

On  the  following  day  the  queen  visited  the 
yacht,  which  had  anchored  by  request  off  Os- 
borne House,  coming  on  board  in  her  barge  with 


66  American  Yachting 

the  prince  consort  and  her  suite.  On  being 
shown  over  the  vessel,  even  to  the  forecastle, 
she  expressed  a  great  interest  in  everything.  On 
August  25  the  race  for  the  Queen's  Cup  of  the 
year  took  place,  but  the  America  did  not  start, 
the  reason  assigned  being  that  the  breeze  was 
below  six  knots'  strength,  though  it  is  certain  that 
she  had  everything  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose, 
whatever  the  weather.  As  the  wind  soon  fresh- 
ened, however,  she  started  in  chase  after  the 
others  had  been  gone  for  an  hour  and  a  half, 
finally  finishing  ahead  of  the  leaders,  —  though, 
of  course,  not  timed.  On  August  28  the  match 
with  Titania  was  sailed,  in  a  strong  breeze,  the 
course  being  twenty  miles  to  windward  and  re- 
turn, from  the  Nab  light-ship.  The  fore  gaff  of 
the  America  was  carried  away  on  the  wind  and 
some  time  lost  in  repairs,  but  she  won  by  fifty- 
two  minutes.  Shortly  after  this  the  yacht  was 
sold  for  ;^5000  to  Lord  John  de  Blaquiere,  an 
officer  in  the  Indian  army,  and  with  the  Cup  in 
their  possession  Commodore  Stevens  and  his 
associates  took  a  steamer  for  New  York. 

In  historic  importance  this  race  for  the  Royal 
Yacht  Squadron  Cup  far  surpasses  all  other 
events  of  yachting ;  its  influence  on  the  sport  at 


The  Winning  of  the  Squadron  Cup      67 

large,  on  the  progress  of  design,  construction,  and 
sail-making  in  the  two  nations,  on  their  future 
social  and  political  relations,  can  hardly  be  esti- 
mated. The  whole  history  of  yachting  down  to 
1 848-1 849,  the  dates  of  the  building  of  Mosquito 
in  England  and  Mary  Taylor  in  New  York,  may 
be  considered  as  merely  a  formative  period ;  and 
this  race  for  the  Cup  marked  the  beginning  of  real 
yacht  racing ;  or  perhaps  more  correctly,  the  sys- 
tematic racing  of  yachts  built  for  that  purpose  as 
well  as  for  cruising. 

The  race  was  for  a  cup  paid  for  by  the  Royal 
Yacht  Squadron  and  given  for  all  time,  with  no 
qualifications,  to  the  first  yacht  which  finished, 
regardless  of  size,  rig,  or  restrictions.  Though 
commonly  called  the  "  Queen's  Cup,"  even  by 
experienced  yachtsmen  and  yachting  writers,  it 
was  not ;  and  as  we  have  'just  seen,  the  America 
never  raced  for  a  queen's  cup,  merely  sailing 
over  the  course  with  the  yachts  which  were 
officially  timed. 

The  Royal  Yacht  Squadron  Cup,  since,  by 
general  usage,  known  as  the  "America  Cup," 
thus  became  the  joint  property  of  six  gentlemen, 
all  members  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club.  As 
it  could  not  be  divided,  it  was  by  common  con- 


68  American  Yachts 

sent  assigned  to  the  possession  of  Commodore 
John  C.  Stevens,  the  moving  spirit  of  the  venture. 

The  fifteen  yachts  which  raced  for  the  Cup 
were  all  entered  on  an  absolutely  equal  basis; 
each  represented  individual  ownership,  and  not  a 
yacht  club ;  each  sailed  only  to  win  the  Cup  from 
fourteen  competitors ;  and  had  one  British  yacht 
won,  the  Cup  would  have  been  the  private  prop- 
erty of  her  owner  for  all  time. 

On  its  technical  merits  the  race  was  a  mere 
drifting  match,  decided  largely  by  chance.  Had 
the  America  been  defeated,  it  would  have  been  in 
no  way  to  her  discredit;  and  though  yachting  his- 
tory would  have  been  vastly  different,  the  fact 
would  still  have  remained  that  her  superiority 
over  all  British  yachts  had  been  freely  conceded 
before  the  race. 

In  its  technical  results  the  race  was  all-impor- 
tant ;  it  clinched  for  all  time  and  beyond  all  pos- 
sible cavil  the  superiority  of  the  Americas  model 
and  sails,  and  it  resulted  in  the  immediate  altera- 
tion of  many  of  the  leading  British  yachts  of  the 
day.  For  the  future,  it  wrought  a  complete  and 
permanent  change  in  all  theories  of  design  in 
England  and  America,  and  in  other  countries, 
such  as  Sweden,  as  well. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE    PROGRESS   OF   DESIGN   IN   AMERICA   AND 
ENGLAND 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  America  is  one 
of  the  most  interesting  in  all  yachting,  but  to  do 
justice  to  it  would  require  a  volume  of  its  own, 
and  only  the  leading  points  can  be  mentioned 
here.  The  first  work  of  the  new  owner  was  to 
reduce  the  spars  by  five  feet  and  to  add  iron 
braces  inside,  a  useless  proceeding  which  natu- 
rally impaired  her  speed.  Manned  by  an  Eng- 
lish crew,  she  was  raced  through  the  remainder 
of  185 1  and  the  following  year.  Early  in  1852 
she  cruised  to  the  Mediterranean,  meeting  a 
heavy  gale  of  four  days'  duration  between  Malta 
and  Gibraltar,  which  she  rode  out  easily.  The 
owners  of  other  British  yachts  still  had  no  desire 
to  meet  her  in  matches,  but  she  sailed  in  the 
Queen's  Cup  race  on  July  22,  being  beaten  by  a 
couple  of  minutes  by  the  cutters  Mosquito  and 
Alarm.  On  October  12  she  won  a  private 
match   with   the   Swedish   schooner   Sverige,  of 

69 


70  American  Yachting 

280  tons,  as  compared  with  her  measurement  of 
208  tons  by  the  British  rules.  She  was  then  sold 
to  Lord  Templeton,  who  used  her  through  1853 
and  then  laid  her  up  at  Cowes,  where  she  lay 
neglected  until  1859,  when  she  was  taken  to 
Pitcher's  yard,  on  the  Thames,  for  repairs.  She 
proved  to  be  in  very  bad  condition,  and  she  was 
ultimately  bought  at  a  low  price  by  the  owner 
of  the  yard,  who  set  about  to  rebuild  her  on 
speculation.  She  was  practically  taken  apart, 
piece  by  piece,  each  being  replaced;  the  new 
frames  being  of  oak  and  elm,  and  the  planking  of 
teak  and  oak.  In  this  work  the  builder  was  wise 
enough  to  attempt  no  improvements  of  his  own, 
but  to  respect  the  work  of  George  Steers. 

In  i860  she  was  purchased  by  H.  E.  Decie,  an 
English  yachtsman,  who  renamed  her  Camilla, 
and  made  a  cruise  to  the  West  Indies,  later  on 
racing  her  a  little  in  British  waters.  There  is  a 
gap  in  this  part  of  her  history,  but  in  1861  she 
crossed  the  ocean  again  to  Savannah,  Georgia. 
Just  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  she  was  trans- 
ferred to  a  Southern  owner,  and  with  one  or  two 
guns  mounted  on  deck  she  began  a  new  career 
as  a  despatch-boat  and  blockade-runner  under  the 
name  of  Memphis ;  at  the  present  time  she  has 


Design  in  America  and  England        71 

a  handsome  bell  of  silver  bronze  on  the  heel  of 
her    bowsprit   with    the   inscription,    ''Memphis, 

iseir 

In  April,  1861,  she  was  discovered,  her  masts 
and  part  of  her  port  side  above  water,  in  the  St. 
Johns  River,  Florida,  by  the  United  States  gun- 
boat Ottawa,  Commander  Thomas  H.  Stevens, 
having  been  scuttled  by  auger  holes  in  her  bot- 
tom. She  was  raised  by  plugging  the  holes  and 
pumping  her  out,  and  after  being  completely  re- 
fitted, her  sails  and  gear  being  entirely  new,  she 
did  duty  through  1 862-1 863  with  the  blockading 
fleet  off  Charleston,  several  important  captures 
being  credited  to  her.  From  1864  she  was  at- 
tached to  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  as 
a  tender  and  a  practice  vessel  for  the  cadets. 
Here  she  may  be  left  for  the  time  until  she  re- 
appears in  the  course  of  yachting  history. 

The  first  effect  of  the  visit  of  the  America  was 
visible  in  185 1  in  the  remodelling  of  the  entire 
British  yacht  fleet ;  the  old  apple  bows  were  cut 
off  and  new  fore-bodies  were  added,  with  long, 
clean,  knifelike  bows,  sometimes  carried  to  excess. 
As  in  the  case  of  the  foolish  copying  of  Gloriana 
just  forty  years  later,  the  average  owner  and 
builder  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  the  whole 


72  American  Yachting 

merit  of  the  America  lay  in  her  fine  bow,  and 
very  few  attempted  to  fathom  the  full  measure 
of  the  designer's  skill  as  shown  in  the  vessel  as 
a  whole.  In  thus  lengthening  the  bow  the  run 
was  often  completely  sacrificed;  masts  were  placed 
and  raked  in  servile  imitation  of  the  America, 
without  regard  to  the  balance  of  hull  and  sail, 
and  the  spar  and  sail  makers  were  kept  busy  with 
new  rigs  for  old  yachts,  the  sails  being  cut  as  flat 
as  possible. 

The  revolution,  for  it  was  nothing  less,  was 
marked  by  both  good  and  bad  features.  There 
was  much  foolish  and  unreasonable  imitation,  but 
the  hard  lesson  of  the  America  served  to  arouse 
yachtsmen  to  the  teachings  of  such  men  as  John 
Scott  Russell,  previously  ignored,  and  to  lead  to 
more  thorough  study  of  naval  architecture  and 
yacht  designing.  The  result  was  visible  a  few 
years  later  in  the  production  of  a  superior  class 
of  yacht,  far  faster  than  the  old,  and  also  improved 
in  other  ways.  The  heavy  and  clumsy  rigs  de- 
rived from  the  navy  disappeared;  the  cutter  rig 
became  more  common,  sharing  the  favor  of  yachts- 
men with  the  ordinary  two-masted  fore-and-aft 
schooner  rig ;  and  material  advances  were  made 
both  in  construction  and  ballasting. 


Design  in  America  and  England        73 

Though  so  fruitful  of  results  in  England,  the 
victory  of  the  America  had  no  effect  whatever 
on  the  progress  of  yacht  design  in  her  native 
country.  Up  to  1850  the  keel  yacht  was  quite 
as  popular  as  the  centre-board  in  the  larger  classes, 
and  though  the  latter  had  numerous  representa- 
tives in  the  small-boat  fleet  of  New  York,  the 
keel  type  was  in  general  use  about  Boston.  The 
superior  speed  of  the  light  displacement,  lightly 
built  centre-board  yacht  over  the  keel  boats  of  the 
pilot-boat  type  in  the  races  which  were  each  year 
becoming  more  popular,  and  the  convenience  of 
very  light  draft  in  mooring  off  the  flats  of  Ho- 
boken,  Communipaw,  and  Gowanus,  appealed 
strongly  to  both  owners  and  builders ;  and  while 
some  large  keel  yachts  were  built  for  offshore 
work,  the  number  of  centre-board  boats  fit  only 
for  New  York  Bay  and  the  Sound  increased  very 
rapidly. 

When  in  1852  George  Steers  built  the  sloop 
Silvie  for  Mr.  Louis  A.  Depau,  he  adopted  the 
centre-board  type ;  the  sloop  Julia,  built  by  him  in 
1854,  was  also  a  centre-board  boat,  as  was  the 
sloop  Rebecca,  built  in  1855  by  William  Tooker, 
a  brother-in-law  of  Steers. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  modelling  and 


74 


American  Yachting 


building  of  yachts  began  to  assume  distinct  im- 
portance as  trades  or  professions  and  such  names 
as  Fish,  Mallory,  Loper,  and  Albertson  first  be- 
came known.  "  Captain  Bob "  Fish  made  for 
himself  a  peculiar  place  in  history ;  he  was  a  man 
of  no  technical  education,  but  a  born  boat  sailor, 
an  original  thinker,  and  a  very  clever  mechanic. 

Though  he  established 
himself  in  connection 
with  his  brother  Isaac  as 
a  boat  and  yacht  builder 
as  early  as  1845,  ^^  is 
best  known  as  a  modeller 
and  yacht  sailing-master. 
During  the  fifties  he  had 
a  boat  shop  at  Pamrapo, 
on  the  New  Jersey  shore, 
where  a  large  force  of 
men  for  the  time  was  kept  busy  in  the  building  of 
small  racing  cat-boats. 

These  boats  had  been  in  use  for  many  years 
about  New  York,  for  summer  sailing  and  racing, 
and  one  of  their  principal  haunts  was  the  west 
shore  of  New  York  Bay,  from  Communipaw  to 
Constable's  Hook,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Kill  von 
Kull.     "  Bob  "  Fish  was  noted  as  the  builder  of 


The  New  York  Cat-boat. 


Design  in  America  and  England        75 

some  of  the  fastest,  as  well  as  for  his  exceptional 
skill  in  sailing.  It  was  through  a  visit  to  his 
shop  at  Pamrapo  in  1852  that  the  Marquis  of 
Conyngham  became  the  owner  of  a  16-foot  boat 
which  he  shipped  to  England,  naming  her  Una. 
She  created  as  great  a  furor  in  her  way  as  the 
America,  giving  the  generic  name  "  Una  "  to  the 
class  of  which  she  was  the  prototype.  At  a  com- 
paratively recent  date  she  was  still  in  existence 
on  the  estate  of  Lord  de  Ros,  in  Ireland.  It  was 
probably  through  her  that  the  type  and  the  Fish 
boats  became  known  in  France  and  Germany, 
where  they  flourished  in  great  numbers,  until  of 
late  years  superseded  by  the  modern  small  rater. 
In  Germany  they  are  still  known  as  "  Bubfish  " 
boats,  in  recognition  of  the  designer  and  builder  of 
the  first  imported. 

One  of  Captain  Fish's  first  large  yachts  was 
the  sloop  Newburg,  1845;  then  came  the  Undine 
and  Gertrude,  1852,  Victoria,  1856.  Later  on  he 
abandoned  building  as  a  regular  business  and 
found  profitable  employment  as  a  racing  skipper, 
principally  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  William  P.  Doug- 
las and  the  Lorillard  brothers.  For  these  keen 
yachtsmen  he  modelled,  built,  altered,  and  sailed 
yachts. 


76  American  Yachting 

The  Weehawken  flats  may  properly  claim  the 
honor  of  being  the  cradle  of  American  yachting, 
but  next  to  them  come  the  flats  about  Gowanus 
Bay,  spanned  by  the  famous  "  Penny  Bridge " 
over  Gowanus  Creek,  and  the  expanse  of  flats  on 
the  opposite  shore  of  New  York  Bay,  already 
mentioned.  These  latter  began  at  Communipaw, 
just  where  the  narrow  mouth  of  the  Hudson 
River  widens  into  the  Upper  Bay,  and  they  ran 
down  nearly  five  miles  to  the  protecting  arm  of 
Constable's  Hook.  Their  outer  limit  —  the  main 
channel  of  the  Upper  Bay  as  marked  by  Robbins 
Reef  and  Bedloe's,  now  Liberty,  Island  —  was 
from  one  and  one-half  to  two  miles  from  the 
shore,  which  was  then  farm  land  with  scattered 
villages:  Communipaw,  where  the  Jersey  City 
Yacht  Club  established  itself  in  1858,  Greenville, 
Pamrapo,  and  Bayonne.  The  depth  of  water 
over  this  area  varied  from  one  to  five  feet  at  mean 
low  tide,  and  in  those  days  the  shores  were  prac- 
tically in  a  state  of  nature.  To-day  the  whole  of 
Constable's  Hook  is  covered  by  the  smoky  chim- 
neys of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  and  its  allied 
corporations.  "  Black  Tom,"  the  island  farther 
up,  is  a  storage  station  for  oil ;  long  docks  pierce 
the  water,  and  the  shores  are  covered  with  a  net- 


Design  in  America  and  England        "jj 

work  of  railroads  and  the  big  red  storage  tanks 
of  the  oil  companies. 

The  farmers  who  dwelt  along  these  shores  in 
the  fifties  were  amphibious  by  nature,  many  of 
them  fishermen  and  oystermen.  The  big  fami- 
lies of  Ellsworths  and  Van  Buskirks,  names  long 
noted  in  New  York  yachting,  could  within  their 
own  immediate  circle  man  a  big  schooner  with 
a  crack  racing  crew  of  men  who,  through  long 
experience  with  the  drift  nets,  knew  every  tide 
and  eddy  from  the  Battery  to  Sandy  Hook 
light-ship,  and  who,  through  many  coasting 
voyages,  knew  the  whole  Atlantic  beach  from 
Norfolk  to  Newport.  This  entire  community 
was  devoted  in  one  way  or  another  to  yachting. 
Here  dwelt  "  Captain  Joe  "  Ellsworth,  the  eldest 
of  the  family  and  the  head  of  a  prosperous 
business  in  planting,  gathering,  and  importing 
oysters,  himself  a  skipper  of  rare  ability  and 
with  a  wonderful  fund  of  local  knowledge  gained 
by  his  experience  from  boyhood  up  in  fishing 
and  oystering.  While  his  time  was  mainly 
given  to  his  business,  he  was  always  ready  and 
able  to  take  charge  of  a  yacht  for  a  race.  His 
brother,  "  Captain  Phip  "  (Philip),  engaged  in  the 
same  business,  was  the  modeller  of  the  family. 


"j^  American  Yachting 

possessing  a  marked  skill  in  the  carving  of 
models,  after  the  custom  in  those  days,  and 
producing  many  fast  yachts. 

The  Ellsworths  were  located  at  Bayonne,  a 
mile  below  "  Bob  "  Fish's  home,  and  close  beside 
the  latter  was  the  shop  of  "  Pat "  McGiehan,  a 
noted  builder  of  open  cat-boats  and  jib-and-main- 
sail  boats,  and  of  some  yachts  of  larger  size. 
Other  builders  of  less  note  had  their  shops 
along  this  shore,  and  racing  was  the  regular 
amusement  of  the  community.  Across  the  bay, 
at  Gowanus,  "  Hen "  Smedley  built  the  special 
type  of  centre-board  sloop  or  jib-and-mainsail 
boat  known  as  the  "  Penny  Bridge  boat " ;  and 
here,  as  well  as  along  the  Staten  Island  shore 
and  in  sheltered  nooks  on  the  East  and  North 
rivers,  were  boat  shops,  waterside  saloons  fre- 
quented by  boat  sailors,  and  fleets  of  cat-boats, 
jib-and-mainsail  boats,  and  small  cabin  yachts, 
all  of  the  centre-board  type.  It  was  not  until 
well  along  in  the  sixties  that  yacht  clubs  became 
general,  but  from  the  first  a  strong  community 
of  interest  and  friendly  rivalry  united  all  these 
localities. 

In  New  York  was  J.  B.  Van  Deusen,  the 
builder   of   many   large   schooners.      At    Nyack 


Design  in  America  and  England        79 

on  the  Hudson  was  J.  E.  Smith,  a  modeller 
and  builder ;  at  Philadelphia  were  the  Albertson 
Brothers;  at  Mystic,  Connecticut,  was  D.  O. 
Richmond;  at  Noank  near  by  were  Robert 
Palmer  and  D.  D.  Mallory;  at  City  Island 
was  David  Carll,  his  brother,  Jesse  Carll,  being 
located  across  the  Sound  at  Northport ;  while  at 
Rye  Neck  was  the  yard  of  David  Kirby. 

The  two  most  noted  of  the  early  builders 
about  Boston  were  D.  J.  Lawlor  and  George 
Lawley.  Early  in  the  sixties  John  B.  Herre- 
shoff,  the  eldest  of  the  family,  though  totally 
blind,  started  a  boat  shop  at  Bristol,  Rhode 
Island,  building  small  and  then  larger  yachts, 
and  finally  launches  and  steamers,  as  the  busi- 
ness grew  to  the  present  Herreshoff  Manufac- 
turing Company,  of  which  he  is  now  president. 

There  were  some  men  of  broad  methods  of 
thought  and  inquiring  mind  among  these,  such  as 
D.  J.  Lawlor,  but,  as  a  class,  they  were  wedded  to 
their  special  fads  and  fancies  and  to  some  one  type 
of  yacht.  While  special  conditions  and  excep- 
tional environment  sometimes  produced  a  keel 
boat,  the  tendency  for  nearly  thirty  years  was 
to  disregard  the  America  and  the  wholesome 
ideas  of  her  designer,  and  to  force  in  the  larger 


So  American  Yachting 

sizes  of  yacht  the  extreme  development  of  the 
small  centre-board  type,  until  the  end  was  reached 
in  the  fatal  capsize  of  the  mammoth  schooner 
Mohawk  in  1876  and  the  ignominious  defeat 
of  the  crack  centre-board  sloops  by  the  cutter 
Madge  in   1881. 

The  centre-board  type  possesses  so  many  ad- 
vantages  for   American   waters   that   there   was 


JuUa,  Centre-board  Sloop. 
Modelled  and  built  by  George  Steers,  1854  (now  schooner  Nitvana). 

every  possible  reason  for  its  development  within 
reasonable  limitations.  The  early  centre-board 
yachts  built  shortly  after  the  America  were  excel- 
lent in  type  and  proportions ;  it  would  be  hard  to 
find  a  more  perfect  model  in  its  way  than  that  of 
Julia,  of  moderate  breadth,  good  depth  of  body, 
with  fair  and   easy   lines   and  particularly  well- 


Design  in  America  and  England        8i 

balanced  ends,  —  a  combination  of  speed  and  other 
good  qualities,  and,  with  proper  ballast  and  sail, 
a  safe  boat.  In  the  course  of  time,  however,  we 
find  yachts  of  lOO  feet  water-line  drawing  no 
more  than  Julia  of  72  feet  water-line,  and  withal 
over-sparred,  inadequately  ballasted,  and  pos- 
sessed of  radical  defects  of  form  that  made  them 
unfit  for  all  waters  other  than  Long  Island  Sound 
and  New  York  Bay,  and  unsafe  even  there  at  all 
times.  Only  two  years  ago  one  of  these  yachts, 
originally  the  Haswell,  built  in  1858,  though 
modernized  and  considered  perfectly  safe,  cap- 
sized in  a  squall  on  the  Sound  and  drowned 
her  owner,  his  two  daughters,  and  her  skipper. 
Throughout  the  fifties  the  regattas,  special 
races,  and  private  matches  of  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club  kept  the  sport  alive;  in  1857  the 
Brooklyn  Yacht  Club  came  into  existence  as 
the  natural  result  of  the  close  association  of  a 
number  of  Brooklyn  yachtsmen  who  anchored 
their  yachts  in  Gowanus  Bay ;  in  the  following 
year  the  Jersey  City  Yacht  Club  was  formed  in 
the  same  way  across  the  bay;  in  1867  the  Colum- 
bia Yacht  Club  was  formed  about  the  foot  of 
Christopher  Street,  on  the  Hudson  River;  and  in 
1868  the  South  Boston  Yacht  Club  was  organized. 


82 


American  Yachting 


Following  the  example  of  the  America,  the 
sloop  Silvie,  owned  by  Mr.  Louis  A.  Depau, 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  the  first  centre-board  sloop 
to  make  the  passage.  She  sailed  in  some  races, 
but  was  not  very  successful.  On  August  3, 
1855,  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  sailed  its  first 
race  off  Glen  Cove,  Long  Island,  at  the  opening 
of  the  annual  cruise,  the  starters  including  five 
schooners  and  fourteen  sloops.  The  first  race  of 
the  club  at  New  Bedford,  also  on  the  occasion 
of  the  cruise,  was  sailed  in  the  following  year, 
and  in  June,  1858,  the  first  race  around  Long 
Island  was  sailed.  The  start  was  off  the  club- 
house at  Weehawken,  thence  through  the  Nar- 
rows to  sea,  around  Montauk  Point  and  through 
the  Sound,  finishing  at  Fort  Schuyler.  The 
contestants  were:  — 


Yacht 

Owner 

Tons 

Schooners : 

/ 

Haze  . 

. 

W.  W.  McVicker     . 

87.23 

Silvie  . 

. 

W.  A.  Stebbins 

105.04 

Favorite 

. 

A.  C.  Kingsland 

138.00 

Widgeon 

. 

William  Edgar 

101.09 

Sloops : 

Rebecca 

. 

James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr. 

77.06 

Madgie 

. 

R.  F.  Loper      . 

99.05 

Una    . 

. 

W.  Butler  Duncan    . 

67.05 

Minnie 

• 

S.  W.  Thomas 

59.14 

Design  in  America  and  England        83 

Rebecca  was  disqualified  on  protest  for  passing 
through  Plum  Gut;  the  schooner  prize  went  to 
Silvie,  and  the  sloop  prize  to  Minnie,  Silvie, 
by  the  way,  on  her  return  voyage  from  England 
in  1855  was  dismasted  and  later  was  converted 
to  a  schooner. 

In  the  following  year,  when  on  the  cruise,  Mr. 
Bennett  matched  Rebecca  for  ^500  a  side  against 
the  schooner  Restless,  the  course  being  from  off 
Brenton's  Reef  Light,  outside  Newport,  to 
Throgg's  Neck  at  the  head  of  Long  Island 
Sound,  a  distance  of  nearly  160  miles;  with  a 
strong  southwest  wind  the  schooner,  being  the 
larger  by  18  tons,  won  by  twelve  minutes.  A 
second  match  was  sailed  two  days  later  between 
the  schooners  Favorite  and  Haze,  off  New  Lon- 
don, and  on  reaching  Newport  the  whole  fleet 
sailed  in  a  special  race  -  from  off  Fort  Adams 
around  a  mark-boat  16  miles  outside  the  Bren- 
ton's Reef  Light.  In  addition  to  the  usual  fall 
regatta  in  September,  a  match  was  sailed  on  Octo- 
ber 6  between  the  schooners  Favorite,  Gypsy,  and 
Zinga,  the  course  being  on  the  Sound,  from  off 
Hart's  Island,  around  the  Eaton's  Neck  buoy. 
In  i860,  on  August  2,  the  sIooy^s,  Julia  and  Rebecca 
sailed  a  match  for  $250  a  side,  the  course  being 


■*: 


84  American  Yachting 

20  miles  to  windward  and  return  from  the  Sandy 
Hook  light-ship,  the  first  over  this  course.  By 
special  agreement  the  two  housed  their  topmasts 
and  sailed  under  mainsail  and  jib  only,  Julia  win- 
ning by  thirteen  minutes. 

Up  to  this  time  the  racing  of  large  yachts  was 
practically  limited  to  the  New  York  Yacht  Club, 
nearly  all  the  large  yachts  of  the  country  being 
owned  in  New  York  and  enrolled  in  the  club. 
The  sport,  however,  was  growing  in  popular 
favor;  yachts  of  all  sizes  were  in  general  use 
about  Boston;  and  the  use  of  small  cruising 
yachts  as  well  as  the  popular  cat-boat  was  in- 
creasing all  along  the  northern  portion  of  the 
Atlantic  seaboard. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  DAY  OF  THE  GREAT  SCHOONERS 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion 
the  course  of  yachting  was  interrupted,  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club  abandoned  its  annual  regatta 
for  the  year  (1861),  and  though  its  fleet  con- 
tinued the  regular  racing  in  the  following  and 
succeeding  years,  the  young  sport  felt  the  influ- 
ence of  the  war.  When  peace  came  at  last  in 
1865  it  opened  a  new  era  of  national  life  in 
which  money  was  more  plentiful  and  sport  of 
all  kinds  more  popular  than  in  the  early  days 
of  the  republic.  The  foundations  of  many  large 
fortunes  had  been  laid  during  the  war,  and  the 
reaction  from  its  suspense  and  depression  led  . 
men  to  seek  new  pleasures.  Yachting  came  in  \/ 
for  its  share  of  the  general  prosperity,  and  while 
all  classes  felt  the  influence  of  the  change,  it 
was  most  evident  in  the  largest. 

The  first  year  of  peace,  1865,  was  marked  by 
the  launch  of  some  imposing  schooners,  Fleet- 
wing,  206  tons,  and  Fleur  de  Lis,  92  tons,  both 

87 


88 


American  Yachting 


keel,  modelled  by  J.  B.  Van  Deusen,  with  the 
centre-board  Phantom,  140  tons,  by  the  same 
modeller;  Palmer,  194  tons,  and  Josephine,  143 
tons,  both  centre-board,  designed  by  R.  F.  Loper ; 

Idler,  133  tons,  centre- 
board, designed  by  Sam- 
uel Pook;  Eva,  77  tons, 
modelled  by  Robert 
Fish;  and  Juniata,  82 
tons,  by  Albertson 
Brothers,  both  centre- 
board boats.  The  follow- 
ing year  witnessed  the 
launching  of  Vesta,  201 
tons,  modelled  and  built 
by  David  Carll  for  Pierre 
Lorillard,  Jr.,  a  centre- 
board vessel ;  L'Hiron- 
delle,  262  tons,  keel,  afterward  the  famous  Daunt- 
less, by  Van  Deusen;  and  Halcyon,  130  tons, 
centre-board,  modelled  and  built  by  J.  J.  Harris 
at  Port  Jefferson. 

In  1867  the  big  keel  schooner  Sappho,  310 
tons,  modelled  and  built  by  Poillon  Brothers,  was 
added  to  the  fleet,  and  in  1868  was  launched  the 
centre-board  schooner  Madeline,  151   tons,  mod- 


Sappho, 


The  Day  of  the  Great  Schooners         89 

elled  and  built  by  James  E.  Smith  at  Nyack. 
With  the  keel  schooners  Henrietta,  205  tons, 
built  by  Henry  Steers,  nephew  of  George,  in 
1 86 1,  and  Alarm,  240  tons,  by  Van  Deusen,  1864 ; 
Maria,  231  tons,  now  owned  by  E.  A.  Stevens 
and  altered  to  a  schooner  in  1865 ;  and  Silvie, 
Julia,  and  other  old  sloops  converted  to  the 
popular  rig,  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  could 
boast  of  a  fleet  unequalled  even  in  the  home  of 
yachting,  the  English  Channel. 

The  owners  of  these  new  yachts  were  of  a  dif- 
ferent class  from  the  Stevens  family  and  the  origi- 
nal founders  of  the  club,  but  they  were  equally 
good  sportsmen,  and  they  laid  high  stakes  and 
sailed  hard  races.  After  some  interesting  re- 
gattas and  private  matches  about  New  York  in 
the  regular  yachting  seasons  of  1865- 1866,  they 
found  that  the  Sound  and  the  little  corner  of  the 
Atlantic  between  Cape  May  and  Montauk  Point, 
rough  as  it  is  at  times,  was  far  too  small  for  them. 

There  was  some  good  racing  in  the  latter 
year,  but  it  failed  to  satisfy  the  owners  of  Vesta 
and  Fleetwing,  and  just  at  the  beginning  of 
winter  a  match  was  made  between  them,  the 
terms  of  which  are  best  told  by  the  exact  words 
of  the  agreement :  — 


90  American  Yachting 

George  and  Franklin  Osgood  bet  Pierre  Lorillard, 
Jr.,  and  others  ;^30,ooo  that  the  Fleetwing  can  beat 
the  Vesta  to  the  Needles,  on  the  coast  of  England, 
yachts  to  start  from  Sandy  Hook  on  the  second  Tues- 
day in  December,  1866,  to  sail  according  to  the  rules  of 
the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  waiving  allowance  of  time. 
The  sails  to  be  carried  are  mainsail,  foresail,  jib,  flying 
jib,  jib-topsail,  fore  and  main  gaff  topsails,  storm  stay- 
sail and  trysail. 

No  sooner  was  this  bold  venture  known  than  a 
third  party,  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr.,  requested 
to  be  admitted  to  the  match,  and  the  following 
was  added  to  the  agreement :  — 

The  yacht  Henrietta  enters  the  above  race,  by  paying 
;?30,ooo  subscription  by  members  of  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club;  any  minor  points  not  embraced  in  the 
above,  that  cannot  be  settled  by  Messrs.  Osgood, 
Lorillard,  and  Bennett,  shall  be  decided  as  follows : 
Each  shall  choose  an  umpire;  the  umpires  chosen  in 
case  of  a  disagreement  to  choose  two  others.  Twenty 
per  cent  of  the  money  to  be  deposited  with  Mr.  Leonard 
W.  Jerome,  on  the  3d  of  November,  the  balance  to  be 
deposited  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  December  —  play  or 
pay. 


Signed  by 


December  5,  1866. 


J.  G.  Bennett,  Jr. 
Franklin  Osgood. 
George  A.  Osgood. 
Pierre  Lorillard,  Jr. 


The  Day  of  the  Great  Schooners         91 

In  the  matter  of  detail  it  was  agreed  that  the 
yachts  should  be  started,  blow  high  or  blow 
low,  on  Thursday,  December  11,  at  i  p.m.,  by 
H.  S.  Fearing,  one  of  the  owners  of  the  schooner 
Rambler ;  and  the  finish  time  was  to  be  taken 
on  each  yacht,  when,  on  the  true  Channel  course, 
the  light  on  the  west  end  of  the  Isle  of  Wight 
bore  abeam.  None  of  the  yachts  was  to  carry  a 
Channel  pilot  from  this  side;  each  was  allowed 
to  carry  a  squaresail  in  addition  to  those  already 
enumerated;  everything  but  ballast  might  be 
shifted,  and  the  forty-eight-hour  rule  was  waived, 
allowing  each  to  alter  her  ballast  and  trim  up  to 
the  time  of  starting. 

On  a  cool,  clear  winter  morning,  with  a  fresh 
westerly  wind,  the  three  got  under  way  from 
Staten  Island,  accompanied  by  the  club  steamer 
and  a  fleet  of  steamers,  yachts,  tugs,  and  pilot- 
boats,  and  stood  down  through  the  Narrows. 
They  were  started  promptly  at  i  o'clock,  the 
fleet  accompanying  them  for  some  miles  on  their 
way.  About  8  o'clock  that  night  they  were 
separated,  only  meeting  again  after  the  finish. 
The  winter  voyage  was  an  exciting  one  on  each 
yacht,  but  only  one  disaster  attended  it;  on 
December  19,  at  9  p.m.,  in  a  rising  gale,  with  a 


92  American  Yachting 

heavy  sea  running,  Fleetwing  was  boarded  by  a 
sea  over  the  quarter,  and  the  watch  on  deck, 
eight  men,  were  washed  out  of  the  cockpit,  six  of 
them  being  lost.  The  yacht  broached  to,  losing 
her  jib-boom,  and  she  lay  hove  to  for  five  hours 
before  resuming  her  course. 

On  Christmas  Eve,  at  6:55  ^-m.,  the  Scilly 
Lights  were  sighted  by  Vesta,  and  just  fifty  min- 
utes later  they  were  picked  up  by  Henrietta, 
Sailing  the  whole  course  without  a  tack,  the 
latter  was  but  eleven  miles  out  from  the 
straight  line  from  start  to  finish ;  she  passed 
the  Lizard  at  3  a.m.  on  Christmas  morning, 
picked  up  a  Cowes  pilot  at  noon,  and  at  3 :  45  p.m. 
the  two  judges  on  board  timed  her  as  she 
passed  the  Needles;  a  few  hours  later  and  she 
dropped  her  anchor  in  Cowes  Roads,  amid  a 
welcome  well  worthy  of  her  great  achievement. 
Vesta  was  less  fortunate,  her  landfall  bringing 
her  a  few  miles  to  leeward  of  He^irietta  at  the 
Scilly  Islands;  and  when  she  finally  picked  up 
a  pilot  late  on  Christmas  evening,  he  went 
astray  in  a  light  fog,  so  that  she  did  not  finish 
until  forty  minutes  after  midnight.  Fleetwing 
made  a  better  course  up  Channel,  and  finished 
at  midnight.  The  brief  record  of  the  race  is 
as  follows:  — 


The  Day  of  the  Great  Schooners         93 


Time 

Distance 

Days 

Hours 

Minutes 

Nautical  Miles 

Henrietta  . 
Fleetwing  . 
Vesta 

13 

14 

21 

6 
6 

55 
10 

50 

3106 
3135 
3144 

Mr.  Bennett  sailed  on  board  Henrietta,  with 
two  fellow-members  of  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club  as  judges;  on  board  Fleetwing  two  judges, 
one  being  Robert  Center,  and  her  builder, 
J.  B.  Van  Deusen;  on  board  Vesta  were  two 
judges.  Each  yacht  carried  four  officers  and  a 
crew  of  twenty-two  men. 

The  pluck  and  spirit  of  American  yachtsmen, 
in  sailing  such  a  race  in  winter  for  high  stakes, 
and  the  quality  of  American  yachts,  were  gener- 
ously recognized  in  England,  and  every  hospi- 
tality was  tendered  to  the  visitors.  The  return 
voyage  was  made  in  the  following  summer,  the 
three  sailing  separately  and  with  no  attempt  at 
racing. 

There  was  now  a  demand  for  larger  and 
larger  schooners,  and  in  1867  Poillon  Brothers, 
shipwrights,  of  Brooklyn,  launched  a  very  large 
schooner,  modelled  by  themselves  and  built  upon 
speculation.     Sappho,  as  she  was   named,  was  a 


94  American  Yachting 

keel  yacht  with  very  fine  lines,  her  dimensions 
being,  length  over  all,  134  feet;  length  on 
water-line,  120  feet;  breadth,  24  feet  9  inches; 
depth  of  hold,  9  feet  6  inches;  draft  12  feet 
8  inches.  Her  tonnage  was  274.40.  She  sailed 
several  races  and  proved  unsuccessful,  nor  did 
she  find  a  purchaser;  so  in  the  following  season 
she  was  sent  to  England,  making  the  voyage 
from  New  York  to  Cowes  in  fourteen  days.  She 
entered  a  sweepstakes  race  around  the  Isle  of 
Wight  with  the  two  big  cutters  Condor  and 
Oimara  and  the  schooners  Aline  and  Cambria, 
and,  though  much  the  largest,  was  badly  beaten. 
As  there  was  no  offer  for  her,  she  returned  to 
New  York,  where  she  was  finally  purchased  by 
that  good  yachtsman  William  P.  Douglas,  one 
of  the  patrons  of  Captain  "  Bob "  Fish. 

The  yacht  was  placed  in  Captain  Fish's  hands 
for  alteration.  He  docked  her,  stripped  the  plank- 
ing from  about  the  bilge,  and  "padded"  the 
frames  to  the  extent  of  about  seven  inches  on 
each  bilge,  and  then  replaced  the  planking.  The 
increase  of  breadth  added  greatly  to  the  stability 
of  the  yacht,  and  it  is  probable  that  she  was 
further  improved  by  re-ballasting  and  other 
alterations.    At  any  rate  her  new  owner  had  suffi- 


The  Day  of  the  Great  Scboatiers         95 

cient  confidence  in  her  and  Captain  Fish  to  start 
them  both  for  Cowes,  on  racing  bent.  This 
time,  with  a  strong  breeze  on  the  quarter,  and 
smooth  water  all  the  way,  she  made  a  record 
run,  12  days,  9  hours,  36  minutes  from  Sandy 
Hook    light-ship    to    Queenstown,    2875    miles; 


Sappho. 
After  alteration  by  Captain  Robert  Fish. 

her  best  day's  run  of  315  miles  averaging  13.10 
knots. 

Mr.  Douglas  arranged  a  match  with  Mr.  James 
Ashbury,  the  owner  of  the  schooner  Cambria, 
which  had  beaten  Sappho  so  badly  in  the  previous 
year,  the  stakes  being  a  50-guinea  cup,  three 
races  to  be  sailed,  of  which  two  were  to  be  sixty 
miles  to  windward  and  one  a  triangle  of  twenty 
miles  to  the  side.  Though  Sappho  was  the  larger 
vessel,  no  allowance  for  tonnage  was  asked  by  Mr. 
Ashbury,  who  evidently  underrated  her  from 
previous  experience.     In  the  first  race  to  wind- 


96 


American  Yachting 


ward,  May  lo,  1869,  Cambria  withdrew  after 
forty  miles  were  sailed,  being  hopelessly  astern. 
In  the  second  race,  on  May  14,  the  course  was 


Cambria. 
The  first  Cup  challenger,  1870. 


laid  by  the  judges  from  the  Nab  Light  to  Cher- 
bourg Breakwater,  sixty-six  miles  southwest ;  the 
wind  being  west-southwest,  Mr.  Ashbury  refused 
to  accept  the  course  as  a  windward  one.     The 


The  Day  of  the  Great  Schooners        97 

judges  ordered  the  yachts  to  start  in  spite  of  this 
protest,  and  Sappho  sailed  over  the  course  alone. 
The  third  race,  on  May  1 7,  over  the  triangle,  was 
a  complete  victory  for  Sappho,  she  being  nearly 
two  hours  ahead  at  the  second  mark. 

After  disposing  of  Henrietta,  Mr.  Bennett  pur- 
chased the  schooner  L'Hirondelle  and  renamed 
her  Dauntless,  and  this  same  season  he  crossed  to 
Cowes  with  her,  making  nearly  as  good  a  passage 
as  Sappho ;  but  he  was  by  no  means  so  successful 
in  the  racing.  In  the  following  year,  1870,  he 
made  a  match  with  Mr.  Ashbury  for  a  ^250  cup, 
from  Gaunt  Head,  Ireland,  to  Sandy  Hook  Light. 
The  start  was  made  on  July  4,  and  Cambria 
passed  the  Sandy  Hook  light-ship  on  July 
^7»  at  3:30  P.M.,  just  I  hour  and  17  minutes 
ahead  of  Dauntless,  The  main  object  of  Cam- 
bria s  visit  was  to  challenge  for  the  Royal  Yacht 
Squadron  Cup  won  by  the  America  in  185 1,  —  a 
matter  important  enough  to  demand  a  chapter  of 
its  own ;  for  the  present  it  is  desirable  to  follow 
to  its  end  the  history  of  the  schooner  fleet  as  a 
whole. 

The  race  for  the  cup  was  sailed  on  August  8, 
1870,  Cambria  being  defeated;  but  instead  of  end- 
ing the  yachting  season,  as  is  now  the  case,  this 


98  American  Yachting 

race  was  but  the  beginning.  The  annual  cruise 
followed,  Cambria  accompanying  the  fleet.  There 
was  a  squadron  race  from  New  London  to  New- 
port, won  by  Tidal  Wave ;  a  race  off  Newport  for 
two  cups  presented  by  Mr.  Ashbury,  for  schooners 
and  sloops,  and  a  second  schooner  prize  presented 
by  members  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  Magic 
winning  the  Ashbury  cup  and  Cambria  the  club 
cup  as  second  prize.  The  next  day  Cambria  and 
Palmer  sailed  a  private  match,  the  latter,  handled 
for  the  time  by  "  Dick  "  Brown,  winning.  A  day 
later  Cambria  sailed  another  match  with  Idler, 
and  won. 

After  continuing  the  cruise  to  New  Bedford 
and  Martha's  Vineyard,  the  fleet  returned  to  New- 
port and  racing  was  resumed.  On  September  8 
a  race  was  sailed  for  a  cup  given  by  Commo- 
dore Bennett,  since  known  as  the  Brenton's  Reef 
Cup,  Palmer  winning  it  and  Cambria  taking  the 
sweepstakes  cup  arranged  as  second  prize;  the 
other  starters  were  Sappho,  Vesta,  Idler,  Tidal 
Wave,  Madgie,  Halcyon,  Madeline,  and  Phantom. 
On  September  9  a  match  was  sailed  between 
Phantom,  Madeline,  and  Cambria  for  a  50-guinea 
cup,  the  stranger  being  badly  beaten  and 
Palmer  winning    the  cup.      On    September  11 


The  Day  of  the  Great  Schooners         99 

an  open  race  was  sailed  for  a  $500  cup  given  by 
the  citizens  of  Newport,  with  a  second  prize ;  the 
first  being  won  by  Phantom  and  the  second  by 
Palmer  out  of  a  fleet  of  eleven,  Cambria  being 
fourth. 

After  the  fleet  returned  to  New  York  further 
races  were  in  order.  On  September  28,  a  race  was 
sailed  for  cups  given  by  Vice  Commodore  Doug- 
las, Mr.  Ashbury,  and  Mr.  Rutherford  Stuyvesant, 
owner  of  Palmer,  these  being  won  by  Dauntless, 
Tidal  Wave,  and  Madeline,  On  October  13  a 
match  was  sailed  between  Sappho  and  Cambria, 
the  former  winning ;  and  on  the  following  day,  in 
another  match,  Dauntless  beat  Cambria,  The 
season  ended  with  a  match  between  Sappho  and 
Dauntless,  the  former  winning. 

Not  discouraged  with  his  defeat,  Mr.  Ashbury 
challenged  again,  and  in  187 1  brought  over  a 
new  schooner,  Livonia,  and  was  again  defeated. 
Schooner  racing  was  now  one  of  the  most  popular 
sports  of  the  day,  interesting  not  only  yachtsmen 
like  Bennett,  Douglas,  and  Stuyvesant,  who  sailed 
aboard  their  yachts,  but  many  wealthy  men  who, 
caring  little  for  yachting,  envied  the  reputation  of 
successful  yachtsmen.  The  regattas  of  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club  and  of  the  younger  clubs  now 


loo  American  Yachting 

coming  into  prominence  brought  out  large  fleets 
of  fine  schooners  as  well  as  many  sloops.  The 
schooner  racing  was  the  principal  feature  of  the' 
annual  cruise.  Valuable  cups  were  given  for 
special  events,  and  private  matches  were  sailed. 
The  Brenton's  Reef  cups,  the  Cape  May  cup,  and 
the  New  York  Yacht  Club  Course  cups  for 
schooners  and  single-stickers,  all  given  by  James 
Gordon  Bennett  when  he  was  commodore  in  1871- 
1872,  are  memorials  of  this  era,  which  is  further 
marked  by  such  names,  in  addition  to  those  already 
mentioned,  as  Wanderer^  Dreadnought,  Columbia, 
Tarolinta,  Comet,  and  Resolute, 

The  history  of  this  period  of  rapid  development 
and  keen  racing  presents  much  of  interest,  but 
space  permits  only  a  brief  review  of  its  salient 
points.  The  keel  type  figured  prominently 
through  such  big  yachts  as  Sappho,  Dauntless, 
Dreadnought,  and  Resolute ;  but  the  whole  tend- 
ency of  the  time,  in  small  and  large  classes  alike, 
was  toward  the  extreme  development  of  the 
smooth-water  skimming-dish,  of  great  breadth  and 
limited  draft.  The  example  of  the  America  was 
ignored  and  the  vicious  type  of  which  Maria  was 
the  first  embodiment  was  carried  to  its  last  limit. 

The   Tidal  Wave,  one  of  the   noted  boats  of 


The  Day  of  the  Great  Schooners       loi 

the  day,  was  described  more  pointedly  than 
politely  as  "the  snake  with  a  frog  in  its  belly," 
her  length  on  water-line  being  loo  feet,  breadth 
25  feet,  coupled  with  a  very  long,  sharp  bow, 
and  her  draft 
but  8  feet  4 
inches.  The 
climax,  both  in 
dimensions 
and  model,  was 
reached  in 
Mo  haw  k,  a 
centre  -  board 
schooner  mod- 
elled and  built  — ^ 
by  Van  Deu- 

sen   for  Will-  ^n^  ^    ^- 

iam  T.  Garner,  '       Lwonia. 

•  r  The  second  challenger,  1871. 

then    commo- 
dore of   the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  in  1875. 

This  yacht  was  140  feet  over  all,  121  feet  on 
the  water-line,  30  feet  4  inches  in  breadth ;  and 
with  a  depth  of  hold  of  but  9  feet  4  inches,  she 
drew  only  6  feet  with  her  big  centre-board  housed. 
Her  sail  area  was  in  proportion  to  her  exag- 
gerated  dimensions,  the  distance  from  the  fore 

/^  Of   THE  \ 

(  UNIVERSITY   ) 


I02 


American  /achting 


end  of  the  flying  jib-boom  to  the  end  of  the  main 
boom  being  235  feet,  while  the  tip  of  her  main- 
topsail-yard  was  163  feet  above  the  water.  Her 
ballast  was  entirely  inside  the  hull  (lead  blocks 
stowed  on  the  frames)  and  she  was  most  luxu- 
riously fitted  and  furnished.     Possessed  of  great 

initial  stability 
through    her    ex- 
treme breadth  and 
hard     form,     she 
was      noted      for 
carrying  sail ;  but 
so  little  attention 
was  paid    at  that 
time  to  the  prin- 
ciples    of     naval 
architecture    that 
very  few  realized  that  she  was  as  liable  to  a  sud- 
den capsize  as  the  ordinary  sand-bag  racing  boat 
with  ballast  to  windward. 

The  end  came  on  an  afternoon  in  July,  1876, 
when  the  yacht  lay  at  anchor  off  the  club  station 
at  Stapleton,  Staten  Island,  with  all  sails  set  and 
sheets  made  fast.  Commodore  and  Mrs.  Garner 
with  several  friends  were  on  board,  the  captain 
was   on   deck,  and  the  yacht  was   about  to  get 


Mohawk. 


The  Day  of  the  Great  Schooners       103 

under  way.  Before  her  anchor  was  hove  short  a 
sudden  gust  of  wind  from  over  the  high  hills  of 
the  island  struck  her  and  heeled  her  down  on  her 
beam  ends ;  before  she  could  recover  herself  the 
ballast  slid  to  leeward,  while  the  heavy  chairs 
and  other  cabin  furniture  followed,  holding  down 
Commodore  Garner,  Mrs.  Garner,  and  two  guests 
who  were  below  at  the  time.  The  yacht  then 
sank,  carrying  with  her  half  a  dozen  persons. 
She  was  at  once  towed  to  the  Jersey  flats,  off 
Bayonne,  and  cleared  of  water  on  the  next  ebb 
tide,  the  bodies  being  removed.  Later  on  she 
was  sold  by  the  Garner  estate  to  the  United 
States  government,  and,  after  being  converted  to 
a  keel  boat  and  her  rig  reduced,  she  was  devoted 
to  the  Coast  Survey  service,  being  still  in 
existence  under  the  name  of  Eagre, 

Many  other  causes  were  at  this  time  operating 
against  the  continuance  of  the  large  schooner. 
Some  of  the  keenest  patrons  of  the  class  had  lost 
part  of  their  enthusiasm,  the  turf  and  polo  claim- 
ing their  attention,  and  the  sloop  rig  was  becoming 
more  common  in  the  medium  size  of  cabin  yacht. 

The  Mohawk  disaster  had  a  powerful  effect  in 
stopping  the  building  of  large  schooners,  and, 
though  its  true  causes  were  not  then  understood, 


I04  American  Yachting 

it  opened  the  way  for  a  revival  that  was  greatly 
needed.  In  spite  of  their  keen  interest  in  the 
sport,  as  shown  by  their  liberal  expenditures  on 
yachts  and  prizes,  their  readiness  to  sail  at  any 
and  all  times,  and  their  personal  participation,  the 
yacht  owners  of  the  day  had  but  Httle  interest  in 
yacht  design  and  naval  architecture,  all  such 
matters  being  left  to  their  sailing-masters  and  the 
professional  modellers  and  builders.  As  might 
be  expected,  these  two  classes  were  in  a  deep  rut, 
making  no  effort  to  escape  therefrom.  The 
owner  and  his  friends  swore  by  some  one  modeller 
or  builder,  and  this  same  builder  worshipped 
some  particular  model  or  form  of  section  which 
had  proved  successful  in  a  certain  yacht.  As  a 
rule  the  models  of  the  larger  yachts  were  mere 
enlargements  of  successful  sail-boats,  with  all  the 
faults  of  the  latter  greatly  magnified. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE   FIRST    MATCHES    FOR   THE   AMERICA    CUP 


The  Royal 
Yacht  Squadron 
Cup  —  which,  by 
the  way,  is  not  a 
^  cup  in  shape,  but 
-^  a  ewer,  patterned 
after  the  peculiar 
style  of  art  which 
characterized  the 
early  Victorian 
era  —  became  the 
property  of  the 
original  owners  of  the  America,  and  after  her 
sale '  and  the  winding  up  of  the  business  of 
the  syndicate  it  was,  by  common  consent,  com- 
mitted to  the  custody  of  Commodore  Stevens. 
Until  the  death  of  Mrs.  Stevens,  in  1855,  it 
graced  the  drawing-room  of  their  city  home 
on    Washington    Square,   New   York;    but  with 

105 


Magic. 
First  Cup  defender,  1870. 


io6  American  Yachting 

increasing  years  Commodore  Stevens  began  to 
think  of  some  permanent  disposition  of  the  prized 
trophy.  As  a  result,  it  was  finally  decided  to 
dedicate  it  as  a  permanent  challenge  cup  for 
international  racing,  and  to  commit  it  for  the 
time  being  to  the  custody  of  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club  as  a  trustee,  to  which  end  the  follow- 
ing letter  was  written:  — 

New  York,  July  8,  1857. 

To    THE    Secretary    of    the    New    York    Yacht 
Club : — 

Sir:  —  The  undersigned,  members  of  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club,  and  late  owners  of  the  schooner  yacht 
America ^  beg  leave  through  you  to  present  to  the  Club 
the  Cup  won  by  the  America  at  the  Regatta  of  the 
Royal  Yacht  Squadron  at  Cowes,  England,  August  22, 
1851. 

This  cup  was  offered  as  a  prize  to  be  sailed  for  by 
Yachts  of  all  nations  without  regard  to  difference  of 
tonnage,  going  round  the  Isle  of  Wight,  the  usual  course 
for  the  Annual  Regatta  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron, 
and  was  won  by  the  America^  beating  eight  cutters  and 
seven  schooner  Yachts  which  started  in  the  race. 

The  Cup  is  offered  to  the  New  York  Yacht  Club, 
subject  to  the  following  conditions  :  — 

Any  organized  Yacht  Club  of  any  foreign  country 
shall  always  be  entitled,  through  any  one  or  more  of  its 
members,  to  claim  the  right  of  sailing  a  match  for  this 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    107 

Cup  with  any  yacht  or  other  vessel  of  not  less  than 
30  or  more  than  300  tons,  measured  by  the  Custom 
House  rule  of  the  country  to  which  the  vessel  belongs. 

The  parties  desiring  to  sail  for  the  Cup  may  make 
any  match  with  the  Yacht  Club  in  possession  of  the  same 
that  may  be  determined  upon  by  mutual  consent ;  but 
in  case  of  disagreement  as  to  terms,  the  match  shall  be 
sailed  over  the  usual  course  for  the  Annual  Regatta  of  the 
Yacht  Club  in  possession  of  the  Cup,  and  subject  to  the 
Rules  and  Sailing  Regulations  —  the  challenging  party 
being  bound  to  give  six  months'  notice  in  writing,  fix- 
ing the  day  on  which  they  wish  to  start.  This  notice  to 
embrace  the  length.  Custom  House  measurement,  rig, 
and  name  of  the  vessel. 

It  is  to  be  distinctly  understood  that  the  Cup  is  to 
be  the  property  of  the  Club,  and  not  of  the  members 
thereof,  or  owners  of  the  vessels  winning  it  in  a  match ; 
and  that  the  condition  of  keeping  it  open  to  be  sailed 
for  by  Yacht  Clubs  of  all  foreign  countries,  upon  the 
terms  above  laid  down,  shall  forever  attach  to  it,  thus 
making  it  a  perpetual  Challenge  Cup  for  friendly  com- 
petition between  foreign  countries. 

J.  C.  Stevens. 
Edwin  A.  Stevens. 
Hamilton  Wilkes. 
J.  Beekman  Finley. 
George  L.  Schuyler. 

This  plain,  straightforward  document,  evidently 
framed  by  true  sportsmen  in  a  spirit  of  friendly 
sport,   is   the   foundation  of  the  most  important 


io8  American  Yacbtim 


t> 


racing  the  world  has  ever  known;  at  the  same 
time  there  has  arisen  in  connection  with  the 
trust  prescribed  by  it  strife  of  the  bitterest  kind, 
tending  to  thwart  all  the  hopes  of  the  original 
donors. 

In  the  light  of  many  subsequent  events  it  is 
important  to  study  several  features  of  the  "  Deed 
of  Gift,"  as  it  is  commonly  called.  The  first 
point  is  that  the  donors  very  evidently  look  upon 
a  "  mutual  agreement,"  entered  into  on  an  equal 
basis  by  both  parties,  as  in  the  case  of  any  pri- 
vate match,  as  the  basis  for  a  challenge ;  the 
subsequent  proviso  only  being  resorted  to  after 
such  attempt  at  agreement  had  failed.  The 
word  "  match  "  is  not  clearly  defined,  but  may  be 
assumed  either  to  be  merely  synonymous  with 
"  race,"  as  applying  to  a  single  contest ;  or,  by 
broad  sporting  usage,  to  a  series  of  several  sepa- 
rate races.  In  the  event  of  a  disagreement,  not 
otherwise,  certain  particulars  must  be  given  ;  of 
these  the  "  length  "  is  not  specifically  described, 
but  it  is  important  to  note  that  at  that  time,  1857, 
the  measurement  of  the  load  water-line  in  racing 
trim,  as  now  universally  used,  was  unknown.  The 
water-line  did  not  appear  on  the  model,  it  was  not 
used  by  the  modeller   or   builder.     The  current 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    109 

meaning  of  the  term  "  length  "  was  a  measurement 
taken  "  between  perpendiculars,"  or  "  on  keel  for 
tonnage,"  as  the  phrase  ran. 

The  first  challenger  for  the  Cup  was  Mr. 
James  Ashbury,  a  wealthy  English  yachtsman, 
then  owner  of  the  schooner  Cambria,  who  opened 


Cambria. 


negotiations  for  a  match  on  terms  to  be  "  deter- 
mined by  mutual  consent "  in  a  letter  dated  in 
October,  1868,  in  which  he  suggested  the  selection 
of  a  representative  American  schooner  to  visit 
England  and  race  there  in  the  summer  of  1869, 
afterward  racing  Cambria  across  the  Atlantic ; 
the  two  afterward  to  sail  three  races  around  Long 
Island  for  the  possession  of  the  Cup.  Nothing 
came  of  this  proposal,  which  was  followed  next 
year  by  a  second  letter  with  much  resulting 
correspondence,  the  end  being  that  the  club 
practically  declined  to  enter  into  any  mutual 
agreement,  but  offered  to  give  Mr.  Ashbury  one 


no 


American  Yachting 


race   against   the   fleet  of  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club,  over  the  club  course. 

Though  protesting  against  such  an  interpreta- 
tion of  the  deed  of  gift,  he  accepted ;  Cambria 
raced  across  the  Atlantic  against  Dauntless,  as 
already  recounted,  and  on  August  8,  1870,  she 
was  one  of  twenty-four  schooners  and  sloops 
ranged  at  anchor  inside  the  Narrows  of  New 
York  Harbor.     This  fleet  was  even  more  mixed 


Magic. 

than  that  which  faced  the  America  at  Cowes  in 
1 85 1,  including  all  types  from  the  big  keels,  Fleet- 
wing  and  Dauntless,  to  the  smaller  centre-board 
boats,  Magic  and  Silvie,  Among  them  was  the 
old  America,  specially  refitted  for  this  race  by  the 
Navy  Department  and  manned  by  naval  officers 
and  seamen.  The  race  finished  with  Magic 
eleven  minutes  ahead  of  Idler,  America  fourth, 
and   Cambria  tenth.     It  was  a  mere  procession, 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    1 1 1 

devoid  of  sporting  interest  or  technical   signifi- 
cance. 

After  the  racing  of  Cambria  on  the  cruise 
and  in  private  matches  already  described,  Mr. 
Ashbury  returned  home  and  began  negotiations 
for  another  match  next  year,  for  which  he  pro- 
posed to  build  a  new  schooner.  In  the  course  of 
a  correspondence  lasting  through  the  winter,  he 


Livonia. 


combated  the  position  of  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club,  in  point  of  fact,  that  it  would  make  no 
mutual  agreement  but  would  compel  a  challenger 
to  accept  the  minimum  rights  guaranteed  by  the 
deed  of  gift,  finally  winning  three  important 
points :  that  the  match  should  consist  of  a  series 
of  races  instead  of  a  single  contest ;  that  some  of 
these  should  be  sailed  on  fair  neutral  courses  as 
far  as  possible ;  and  that  he  should  be  compelled 
to  meet  but  one  yacht  in  each  race.     In  order  to 


112  American  Yachting 

minimize  the  advantage  of  this  last  point,  how- 
ever, the  defending  club  insisted  on  selecting  four 
yachts,  representing  the  light  and  heavy  weather 
types,  one  of  which  it  would  name  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  race,  according  to  the  weather.  As 
Livonia,  though  specially  built  for  the  contest, 
was  of  the  sturdy  sea-going  British  type  fitted  for 
the  Atlantic  voyage  without  a  steam  convoy,  this 
reservation  robbed  the  contest  of  all  sporting 
interest,  nor  under  the  circumstances  could  it  be 
considered  a  test  of  type. 

The  four  yachts  named  to  defend  the  Cup  were 
Sappho  and  Dauntless,  keel,  and  Columbia  and 
Palmer,  centre-board ;  the  latter  two  noted  as  fast 
yachts  in  light  weather.  The  first  race,  over  the 
club  course  in  light  weather,  was  won  by  Colum- 
bia by  nearly  half  an  hour;  the  second  race, 
twenty  miles  to  windward  from  the  Sandy  Hook 
light-ship  and  return,  was  sailed  in  a  strong  and 
freshening  breeze,  Columbia  winning  by  nearly 
eight  minutes  corrected  time.  Livonia  protested 
her  for  turning  the  outer  mark  in  the  wrong 
direction,  but  the  protest  was  disallowed.  Colum- 
bia was  named  for  the  next  day,  but  she  had  suf- 
fered in  the  blow  of  the  day  before  and  finally 
broke  her  steering-gear,  and  after  other  mishaps 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    113 

was  beaten  fifteen  minutes.     It  sounds  strange  at 
this  day  to  hear  excuses  made  for  Columbia  and 


Columbia. 


her  crew,  both  used  up  after  three  races,  when 
Livonia  and  her  party  were  expected  to  sail  the 
entire  series.     Sappho  was  chosen  for  the  fourth. 


114  American  Yachting 

which  proved  the  best  race  of  the  series,  twenty 
miles  to  windward  and  return,  in  a  breeze  that 
caused  her  to  stow  her  topsails,  she  winning 
by  half  an  hour.  Sappho  was  again  chosen  for  the 
next  race,  which  proved  to  be  the  last,  winning 
by  nearly  half  an  hour. 

The  result  of  this  match  was  a  bitter  contro- 
versy between  Mr.  Ashbury  and  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club,  in  which  neither  side  showed  to  ad- 
vantage. In  behalf  of  the  challenger  it  may  be 
said  that  in  neither  match  was  he  given  ordinary 
fair  play.  Much  was  said  about  the  terms  of  the 
first  race  being  identical  with  those  under  which 
the  America  won  the  Cup;  but  they  were  not. 
In  the  first  place,  the  America  sailed  on  perfectly 
even  terms  with  her  competitors,  each  racing  for 
the  possession  of  a  prize.  In  the  case  of  Cambria 
and  the  fleet,  while  she  was  racing  for  the  posses- 
sion of  a  prize,  the  other  seventeen  were  racing, 
not  to  possess  the  prize,  but  to  keep  her  from 
winning  it.  As  to  the  actual  circumstances  of 
the  race,  while  the  America  was  soon  able  to  work 
clear  of  her  competitors  in  the  open  water  near 
the  Nab,  Cambria  was,  by  bad  luck,  the  leeward 
boat,  buffeted  and  blanketed  by  the  whole  fleet  in 
the  narrow  channels  of  the  Lower  Bay  and  the 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    115 

Narrows.  One  yacht  actually  fouled  her  by  fail- 
ing to  give  way  while  on  the  port  tack,  but  no 
protest  was  made. 

The  only  results  of  these  two  matches  were  to 
arouse  international  ill-feeling  and  to  confirm 
American  builders  in  their  faith  in  the  extreme 
centre-board  type.  The  failure  of  Mr.  Ashbury 
in  two  attempts  awakened  no  general  interest  in 
England,  and  the  Cup  was  left  without  further 
challenge.  While  the  majority  of  American 
yachtsmen  indorsed  the  action  of  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club,  first  in  matching  a  single  yacht  by  a 
fleet,  and  then  in  picking  a  defender  according  to 
the  weather,  the  long  discussion  which  ensued 
served  a  good  purpose  in  preparing  the  way  for 
that  mutual  agreement  on  fair  and  equal  terms 
which  was  first  accorded  to  Lord  Dunraven  in 
1893. 

The  third  challenge  came  from  a  new  quarter, 
the  yacht  being  the  schooner  Countess  of  Duf- 
ferin,  modelled  and  built  by  Alexander  Cuthbert, 
of  Cobourg,  Ontario,  on  Lake  Ontario.  She  was 
owned  by  a  syndicate  of  members  of  the  Royal 
Canadian  Yacht  Club  of  Toronto,  headed  by 
Major  Charles  Gifford,  Vice-Commodore  of  the 
club.     Cuthbert  was  one  of  the  "  rule-o '-thumb '* 


ii6  American  Yachting 

builders,  —  a  very  clever  man  in  his  way,  and  well 
known  on  the  Lakes  from  his  local  yachts.  He 
followed  the  popular  American  type  of  shoal 
centre-board,  the  belief  being  quite  general  in 
certain  quarters  that  he  had  merely  copied  a 
New  York  yacht  in  use  on  Lake  Ontario.  This, 
however,  is  unjust  to  Cuthbert,  whose  ideas, 
though  in  no  way  above  those  of  his  contempo- 
raries, were  at  least  his  own. 

The  first  negotiations  between  challenger  and 
defender  resulted  in  an  agreement  to  sail  a  series 
of  two  out  of  three  races,  one  only  over  the  club 
course,  the  challenger  to  be  met  by  but  one 
yacht  at  a  time.  Major  Gifford,  with  the  fate 
of  Mr.  Ashbury  in  mind,  pushed  the  matter 
further,  and  finally  by  a  vote  of  eleven  to  five 
the  defending  club  decided  to  name  one  yacht  in 
advance  for  the  match.  This  of  itself  was  a  great 
step  toward  equalizing  the  conditions,  as  the 
challenger,  thousands  of  miles  from  home,  was 
compelled  to  rely  on  one  hull,  one  rig,  and  a 
single  crew,  while  the  defender  in  the  past  could 
substitute  a  new  yacht  for  a  disabled  one  or  a 
fresh  crew  for  a  tired  one. 

The  yacht  selected  was  the  schooner  Madeline, 
owned  by  John  S.  Dickerson,  originally  built  as 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    117 

a  sloop  by  David  Kirby,  in  1868,  but,  as  then 
generally  the  case,  repeatedly  enlarged,  altered, 
and  finally  rerigged.  The  difference  between 
the  two  in  point  of  model  was  comparatively  un- 
important, but  while  Madeline  was  fitted  in  per- 
fect trim  from  her  polished  copper  bottom  to  her 
light  club  topsail,  Countess  of  Dufferin  suffered 
in  finish  and  equipment  from  the  limited  capital 
of  the  syndicate.  In  the  first  race  she  was  beaten 
by  eleven  minutes  over  the  club  course,  and  in 
the  second,  outside  the  Hook,  she  was  beaten  by 
nearly  half  an  hour. 

Four  years  elapsed  before  the  next  challenge, 
which  was  also  from  Canada,  the  yacht,  Atalanta, 
being  modelled  and  built  by  Captain  Cuthbert  for 
a  syndicate  of  the  Bay  of  Quinte  Yacht  Club. 
The  same  agreement  was  made  as  in  the  previous 
match,  —  a  series  of  two  out  of  three  races,  one  over 
the  inside  course,  against  a  single  yacht  named 
in  advance  by  the  defending  club.  While 
Countess  of  Dufferin  had  sailed  from  Lake 
Ontario  to  New  York  by  way  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  sea,  Atalanta  was  greatly  delayed 
in  completion.  There  being  again  a  lack  of  the 
necessary  funds,  she  was  not  launched  until  early 
in  September,  and  it  was  determined  to  take  her 


ii8  American  Yachting 

to  New  York  by  way  of  the  Erie  Canal  and  Hud- 
son River.  This  was  done  with  some  difficulty ; 
the  yacht,  stripped  of  her  spars,  being  heeled  as 
far  as  possible  on  one  bilge,  to  permit  her  passage 
through  the  locks.  She  reached  New  York  on 
October  30,  in  a  most  unfit  condition  for  racing, — 
a  new  boat,  not  yet  finished  and  never  fully  tried. 
When  docked,  her  bottom  was  as  rough  as  a  board 
fence,  the  time  being  too  short  to  permit  of  that 
painting,  rubbing  down,  and  repainting  which  is 
necessary  to  put  a  new  yacht  in  racing  shape. 

This  year  the  selection  of  a  defender  was  made 
by  means  of  a  series  of  trial  races,  which  will  be 
described  in  a  more  appropriate  place,  the  choice 
falling  upon  Mischief,  a  new  iron  sloop.  In  model 
Atalanta  was  quite  up  to  the  average  sloop  of 
her  day,  but  Mischief  represented  a  distinct  ad- 
vance on  the  older  boats,  in  model,  rig,  and  above 
all  in  construction  and  ballasting,  her  lead  being 
stowed  against  her  iron  bottom  plating.  In  one 
point  alone  she  was  minutes  faster  than  her  oppo- 
nent. After  all  the  preliminary  preparation  for  the 
trial  races  she  was  docked  again,  and  her  smooth 
bottom  was  scraped,  painted,  varnished,  and  pot- 
leaded  until  it  shone  like  a  well-polished  boot. 

The  first  race  was  sailed  on  November  9,  an 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    119 

unusually  late  date,  Mischief  winning  by  nearly 
half  an  hour;  on  the  following  day  they  sailed 
sixteen  miles  to  leeward  from  Buoy  No.  5  off 
Sandy  Hook  and  return,  Mischief  winning  by 
over  half  an  hour.  The  match  was  fruitless  ex- 
cept to  point  the  old  lesson,  that  perfection  in 
detail  is  of  more  importance  than  any  ordinary 
difference  of  model. 

One  very  important  result  followed,  however, 
as  shortly  after  the  match  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club  voted  to  return  the  America  Cup  to  Mr. 
George  L.  Schuyler,  the  sole  survivor  of  the  origi- 
nal five  donors,  who  was  to  redonate  it  upon  new 
terms.  These,  as  set  forth  in  the  "  Second  Deed 
of  Gift,"  were  as  follows :  — 

Second  Deed  of  Gift 

Any  organized  yacht  club  of  a  foreign  country, 
incorporated,  patented  or  licensed  by  the  Legislature, 
admiralty  or  other  executive  department,  having  for  its 
annual  regatta  an  ocean  water  course  on  the  sea  or  on 
an  arm  of  the  sea  (or  one  which  combines  both),  prac- 
ticable for  vessels  of  300  tons,  shall  always  be  entitled, 
through  one  or  more  of  its  members,  to  the  right  of 
sailing  a  match  for  this  Cup,  with  a  yacht  or  other  ves- 
sel propelled  by  sails  only,  and  constructed  in  the  coun- 
try to  which  the  challenging  club  belongs,  against  any 


I20  American  Yachting 

one  yacht  or  vessel  as  aforesaid,  constructed  in  the 
country  of  the  club  holding  the  Cup. 

The  yacht  or  vessel  to  be  of  not  less  than  30  nor 
more  than  300  tons,  measured  by  the  Custom  House 
rule  in  use  by  the  country  of   the  challenging  party. 

The  challenging  party  shall  give  six  months'  notice 
in  writing,  naming  the  day  for  the  proposed  race,  which 
day  shall  not  be  later  than  seven  months  from  the  date 
of  the  notice. 

The  parties  intending  to  sail  for  the  Cup  may,  by 
mutual  consent,  make  any  arrangement  satisfactory  to 
both  as  to  the  date,  course,  time  allowance,  number  of 
trials,  rules,  and  sailing  regulations,  and  any  and  all 
other  conditions  of  the  match,  in  which  case  the  six 
months'  notice  may  be  waived. 

In  case  the  parties  cannot  mutually  agree  upon  the 
terms  of  the  match,  then  the  challenging  party  shall 
have  the  right  to  contest  for  the  Cup  in  one  trial,  sailed 
over  the  usual  course  of  the  annual  regatta  of  the  club 
holding  the  Cup,  subject  to  its  rules  and  sailing  regula- 
tions, the  challenged  party  not  being  required  to  name 
its  representative  until  the  time  agreed  upon  for  the 
start. 

Accompanying  the  six  months'  notice,  there  must  be 
a  Custom  House  certificate  of  the  measurement,  and  a 
statement  of  the  dimensions,  rig,  and  name  of  the  vessel. 

No  vessel  which  has  been  defeated  in  a  match  for 
this  Cup  can  be  again  selected  by  any  club  for  its  rep- 
resentative until  after  the  contest  for  it  by  some  other 
vessel  has  intervened,  or  until  after  the  expiration  of 
two  years  from  the  time  such  contest  has  taken  place. 

Vessels  intending  to  compete  for  this  Cup  must  pro- 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    121 

ceed  under  sail  on  their  own  bottoms  to  the  port  where 
the  contest  is  to  take  place. 

Should  the  club  holding  the  Cup  be  for  any  cause 
dissolved,  the  Cup  shall  be  handed  over  to  any  club  of 
the  same  nationality  it  may  select,  which  comes  under 
the  foregoing  rules. 

It  is  to  be  distinctly  understood  that  the  Cup  is  to 
be  the  property  of  the  club  and  not  of  the  owners  of 
the  vessel  winning  it  in  a  match,  and  that  the  condition 
of  keeping  it  open  to  be  sailed  for  by  organized  yacht 
clubs  of  all  foreign  countries,  upon  the  terms  above  laid 
down,  shall  forever  attach  to  it,  thus  making  it  perpetu- 
ally a  challenge  Cup  for  friendly  competition  between 
foreign  countries. 

George  L.  Schuyler. 

The  most  important  point  about  this  new  deed, 
as  compared  with  the  first,  is  that  a  great  change 
of  form  was  made  to  strengthen  and  justify  the 
position  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  against  a 
mutual  agreement  as  the  first  basis  of  negotiation 
for  a  match.  The  prominent  feature  of  the  origi- 
nal "  Deed  of  Gift "  is  the  position  of  the  "  mutual 
agreement "  clause,  immediately  following  the  first 
statement  of  the  qualifications  which  make  a  club 
eligible  as  a  challenger,  and  the  general  limits  of 
size  of  the  vessels.  It  would  seem  from  the  whole 
form  and  tenor  of  the  first  deed,  that  the  donors 
contemplated  a  mutual  agreement  as  the  natural 


122  American  Yachting 

and  proper  basis  of  a  match,  the  minimum  terms 
being  inserted  only  as  a  last  resort  after  a  failure 
to  agree.  In  the  second  deed,  however,  the  initia- 
tive for  a  challenge  must  come,  not  in  the  form 
of  overtures  for  a  mutual  agreement,  but  in  a 
formal  notice  naming  the  day  between  six  and 
seven  months  distant,  and  giving  the  particulars 
of  the  challenging  vessel.  After  this,  there  may 
be  a  mutual  agreement  on  the  minor  details  of 
the  races.  The  result  of  this  change  was  to  place 
the  challenger,  after  his  challenge  had  been  ac- 
cepted, in  the  position  of  requesting  as  favors 
what  should  have  been  his  by  right  of  fair  sport. 

The  six  months'  notice,  which  was  merely  one 
of  the  ultimate  conditions  in  the  first  deed,  is  here 
advanced  to  a  very  prominent  position  as  one  of 
the  first  elements  of  a  match.  The  subject  of 
dimensions  is  left  as  vague  and  indefinite  as  the 
term  "  length  "  in  the  first  deed.  It  may  be  con- 
strued to  include  all  that  at  a  later  date  were  con- 
sidered the  fundamental  dimensions  of  a  design ; 
on  the  other  hand,  used  as  it  is  in  connection 
with  custom-house  measurement,  it  may  be  as- 
sumed to  refer  only  to  the  measurements  ordi- 
narily taken  in  connection  with  tonnage. 

Some  points  in  the  deed  bear  directly  on  the  two 


The  First  Matches  for  the  America  Cup    123 

Canadian  challenges;  all  Canadian  yacht  clubs, 
save  the  Royal  Nova  Scotia  Yacht  Squadron,  were 
excluded,  this  being  the  only  one  with  a  course 
on  the  sea.  All  canaling  was  prohibited  by  the 
provision  that  the  challenger  must  "proceed  under 
sail."  Taken  all  together,  the  revision  in  no  way 
improved  the  original  deed  or  tended  to  perpetu- 
ate the  spirit  which  inspired  it. 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF   DESIGN    IN    AMERICA 

The  story  of  American  yachting  is  a  rope  of 
many  strands,  each  made  of  innumerable  yarns. 
The  "  core  "  is  the  America  Cup ;  about  it  twine 
many  other  subjects :  the  New  York  Yacht  Club, 
the  growth  of  a  national  club  system,  the  racing 
of  small  yachts,  the  improvements  in  model  and 
construction.  In  following  the  America  Cup 
through  the  initial  period  of  its  races  we  have 
passed  over  some  very  important  episodes,  and 
it  is  necessary  to  turn  back  to  the  early  seventies. 
We  have  already  seen  how  the  yacht  first  origi- 
nated from  the  prevalent  types  of  revenue  cut- 
ters, fishing  vessels,  and  pilot-boats  on  both  sides 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  how,  about  1850,  the  first 
primitive  yachts  were  replaced  by  others  having 
a  distinct  type  of  their  own,  the  building  and 
altering  of  these  craft  bringing  in  a  distinct  class 
of  workmen. 

The  yacht  type  in  England  was  the  result  of  sev- 
eral conditions,  —  the  tonnage  rule  under  which 

124 


The  Devebpment  of  Design  in  America    125 

for  many  years  all  yachts  were  measured  for  rac- 
ing as  well  as  for  price  in  building,  the  rough 
and  open  waters  on  which  it  was  necessary  to 
sail,  and  the  conservatism  of  British  yachtsmen 
in  retaining  the  characteristics  of  the  sea-going 
vessel  in  their  pleasure  craft.  In  this  country, 
while  at  the  outset  yachtsmen  were  divided  be- 
tween the  sturdy  sea-going  type  of  keel  boat 
represented  by  the  America  and  the  harbor-sail- 
ing centre-board  skimming-dish  represented  by 
Maria,  in  course  of  time  the  latter  prevailed  ex- 
clusively, except  in  the  schooner  division. 

Through  nearly  thirty  years,  up  to  1880,  the 
keel  yacht  of  moderate  size  was  so  rare  about 
New  York  as  to  be  notable  as  an  exception  to  the 
universal  rule  of  shoal-draft  centre-board.  The 
production  of  these  yachts  was  left  entirely  to 
the  professional  builders,  who  cut  the  model  and 
from  it  built  the  yacht.  As  a  class  these  men 
were  good  mechanics,  familiar  with  certain  classes 
of  vessels,  but  with  limited  education  and  abso- 
lutely ignorant  of  the  elemental  laws  of  naval 
architecture.  Some  of  them  possessed  a  sense  of 
form  which  enabled  them  to  turn  out  clean  and 
handsome  models,  many  of  them  were  fairly  suc- 
cessful   through   shrewdness  and  common  sense 


126  American  Yachting 

rather  than  technical  skill,  while  not  a  few  were 
wedded  indissolubly  to  private  fads  and  original 
theories  of  their  own,  exemplified  in  their  yachts. 
Yacht  owners  as  a  class  paid  little  attention  to 
the  technical  side  of  the  sport,  leaving  it  to  the 
builders  and  the  professional  sailing-masters. 

The  result  of  these  conditions  was  that  design 
followed  a  downward  groove.  In  their  efforts  to 
obtain  speed,  builders  exaggerated  the  extreme 
skimming-dish  models;  and  even  in  large  cabin 
yachts  that  were  nominally  intended  more  for 
cruising  than  racing,  the  important  items  of  sta- 
bility and  seaworthiness  were  entirely  neglected. 
The  capsizing  of  small  open  boats  and  yachts, 
even  when  attended  with  fatal  results,  was  too 
common  to  attract  much  notice ;  and  the  large 
yachts  came  in  for  a  full  share  of  very  narrow 
escapes,  with  an  occasional  disaster  such  as  that 
of  Mohawk,  but  for  a  long  time  the  important 
question  of  stability  was  practically  ignored  by  all 
classes  of  yachtsmen. 

It  was  in  1871  that  the  Seawanhaka  Yacht 
Club  was  organized  by  some  gentlemen  who  had 
been  for  years  sailing  open  centre-board  boats 
about  Oyster  Bay  and  cruising  in  larger  craft  on 
the  Sound.     From  the  outset  they  took  up  the 


The  Development  of  Design  in  America    127 

cause  of  Corinthian  yachting  in  its  broadest  form, 
the  personal  knowledge  of  the  technical  side  of 
yacht  building  and  sailing,  and  in  particular  the 
encouragement  of  owners  in  sailing  their  own 
yachts.  The  club  grew  rapidly  and  soon  attracted 
to  itself  such  men  as  Robert  Center,  C.  Smith 
Lee,  John  Hyslop,  and  W.  A.  W.  Stewart,  —  all 
actively  interested  in  the  subject  of  design  —  as 
well  as  most  of  the  owners  of  the  racing  yachts 
of  the  day. 

After  crossing  on  board  Fleetwing  in  the  race 
of  1866,  Mr.  Center  spent  some  time  abroad, 
becoming  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  British 
cutter  and  with  racing  as  it  existed  at  the  time  in 
English  waters.  On  his  return,  in  1870,  he 
brought  from  London  a  copy  of  a  new  work, 
"  Yacht  Building,"  by  Philip  R.  Marett,  an  ama- 
teur yachtsman  and  designer.  At  that  time  there 
was  very  little  to  be  had  in  the  way  of  technical 
yachting  literature,  either  in  England  or  America, 
this  book  being  the  pioneer  in  a  new  field.  Mr. 
Marett  urged  upon  all  yacht  owners  the  absolute 
importance  of  possessing  at  least  an  elementary 
knowledge  of  design  and  construction,  and  he 
practised  what  he  preached  by  making  his  book 
a  very  thorough  and  complete  treatise  on  these 


128 


American  Yachting 


subjects.  As  the  basis  for  his  work  he  collected 
such  data  as  were  then  available  in  the  way  of 
lines  and  elements  of  well-known  yachts,  arrang- 
ing them  in  systematic  order,  and  showing  how  the 
essential  characteristics  of  yachts  might  be  com- 
pared in  the  light  of 
their  actual  perform- 
ances. The  subject- 
matter  of  the  book 
was  well  within  the 
comprehension  of  any 
intelligent  man,  the 
writer's  ideas  being 
sensible  and  set  forth 
plainly  and  logically. 

With  this  book  as  a 
guide,  Mr.  Center  deter- 
mined upon  a  new  yacht,  planned  on  the  most 
revolutionary  principles.  The  vessel  was  to  be 
of  the  cutter  type,  with  no  centre-board,  but  with 
a  fixed  keel  under  her  deep  body ;  she  was  to  be 
planned  entirely  on  paper,  without  recourse  to  a 
block  model;  and  she  was  to  be  built  of  iron 
throughout.  His  associate  in  this  work  was  A. 
Gary  Smith,  a  marine  artist  who  had  begun  life 
as  a  willing  apprentice  to  Captain  "  Bob  "  Fish  in 
the  latter's  boatshop  at  Pamrapo. 


British  Racing  Cutter, 
1870  to  1880. 


The  Development  of  Design  in  America    129 

Working  together,  they  planned  the  first 
American  cutter,  Vindex,  following  closely  the 
lines  of  the  famous  Mosquito,  already  mentioned, 
as  given  by  Marett.  The  yacht  was  built  by 
Reaney,  Son  &  Archbold,  at  Chester,  Pennsyl- 
vania, being  launched  in  1871 ;  she  was  62  feet 
5  inches  over  all,  56  feet  4  inches  on  the  water- 
line,  17  feet  3  inches  wide,  and  drew  8  feet  10 
inches ;  her  depth  of  hold  was  6  feet  7  inches,  and 
her  tonnage  54.34  tons.  In  comparison  with  her 
may  be  mentioned  Vision,  long  known  as  one  of 
the  leading  centre-board  sloops  of  her  class,  built 
in  1872.  She  was  66  feet  over  all,  52  feet  4  inches 
on  the  water-line,  20  feet  9  inches  wide,  and  drew 
5  feet  9  inches,  with  a  depth  of  hold  of  5  feet  1 1 
inches,  and  a  tonnage  of  58.52. 

Vindex  was  built  with  iron  frames  and  plating 
and  a  plate  keel  of  iron  about  one  inch  thick,  her 
ballast  being  lead  stowed  on  the  frames  and  skin ; 
but  later  on  a  part  of  this  was  cast  in  slabs  and 
bolted  to  the  keel,  as  in  the  modern  fin-keel  yacht. 
Her  fittings  and  deck  joiner  work  were  strong 
and  solid,  for  work  at  sea,  in  contrast  to  the  light 
and  flimsy  fittings  of  the  ordinary  sloop  yacht. 
She  was  rigged  as  a  cutter,  and  steered  with 
either  a  wheel  or  a  tiller. 


130  American  Yachting 

The  first  of  her  kind,  and  the  work  of  amateurs, 
she  possessed  some  serious  faults,  but  in  the  hands 
of  her  plucky  Corinthian  owner  she  first  proved 
the  sterling  merits  of  her  type  and  build  by  winter 
yachting  at  sea ;  then,  in  the  regular  season,  she 
shared  the  prizes  with  the  light-weather  boats  of 
the  Sound.  In  the  end  she  fully  justified  the 
ideas  of  her  owner,  and  started  a  reform  which 
was  greatly  needed.  It  was  in  the  sometimes 
heated  controversy  over  her  individual  merits  and 
demerits,  which  lasted  for  several  seasons,  that  the 
important  issues  of  the  cutter  model  and  rig,  the 
designing  of  yachts  by  methods  similar  to  those 
of  the  house  architect,  and  iron  construction,  were 
introduced  into  yachting. 

The  second  American  cutter  was  built  in  1876 
at  Port  Richmond,  Staten  Island,  from  the  designs 
of  her  owner,  John  Hyslop.  Petrel,  as  she  was 
named,  was  32  feet  over  all,  28  feet  on  the  water- 
line,  8  feet  wide,  and  of  4  feet  8  inches  draft. 
She  was  in  no  sense  an  imitation  of  the  racing  cut- 
ters of  the  time,  but  a  cleverly  designed  application 
of  the  principles  of  the  cutter  to  American  condi- 
tions. She  was  built  of  wood,  with  two-thirds  of 
her  ballast  on  the  keel. 

In    the   following  year    Mr.  Center   had  built 


The  Development  of  Design  in  America    131 

from  his  own  designs  a  third  cutter,  Volante,  the 
building  being  done  by  John  F.  Mumm,  at  the  foot 
of  Court  Street,  Brooklyn.  She  was  intended  as 
a  model  cruising  yacht  for  the  Messrs.  Hitchcook, 
young  nephews  of  Mr.  Center,  and  her  dimen- 
sions were :  length  over  all,  45  feet ;  load  water- 
line,  40  feet ;  breadth,  1 2  feet ;  draft,  7  feet.  She 
carried  a  good  part  of  her  ballast  in  the  form  of 
a  lead  keel,  and  she  was  rigged  as  a  cutter.  Both 
of  these  yachts  proved  successful,  doing  regular 
work  as  cruisers,  for  which  they  were  well  fitted, 
and  yet  winning  many  races. 

The  discontent  on  the  part  of  many  yachtsmen 
with  the  existing  conditions  of  design  and  con- 
struction found  forcible  expression  after  the  cap- 
size of  Mohawk,  which  some  attempted  to  defend 
as  a  visitation  of  Providence  which  might  have 
fallen  on  any  vessel,  regardless  of  type,  while 
others  looked  upon  it  as  a  most  inexcusable  and 
unnecessary  sacrifice  to  ignorance.  A  discussion 
gradually  arose  which  in  time  embraced  a  large 
number  of  important  points:  the  necessity  for  the 
professional  yacht  designer,  with  his  plans  on 
paper,  in  place  of  the  builder  with  his  block 
model;  the  dangerous  initial  stability  of  the 
sloop  as  opposed  to  the  wide  range  of  stability 


132  American  Yachting 

of  the  cutter;  the  merits  of  the  two  types  in 
point  of  speed  and  seaworthiness ;  the  relative 
values  of  breadth  and  depth  as  exemplified  in 
sloop  and  cutter;  the  merits  of  iron  as  opposed 
to  wood  in  construction.  At  the  outset  the  only 
semblance  of  technical  discussion  was  made  by 
a  few  of  the  better  informed  amateurs,  but  by 
degrees  yachtsmen  became  sufficiently  interested 
to  seek  reliable  information. 

The  Seawanhaka  Club,  which  by  this  time  had 
officially  adopted  the  title  "  Corinthian "  as  an 
index  of  its  principles,  was  most  active  in  promot- 
ing the  practical  study  of  the  different  branches 
of  yachting  science,  as  well  as  in  encouraging 
Corinthian  sailing  on  the  part  of  its  members, 
many  of  its  races  being  open  only  to  yachts 
manned  with  amateur  crews  and  steered  by  ama- 
teur skippers. 

Thus  far  few  yachtsmen  were  bold  enough  to 
intrust  the  production  of  a  yacht  to  a  designer 
who  would  work  from  a  plan  on  paper,  but  in 
1877  Cary  Smith  designed  the  schooner  Prospero 
for  G.  H.  B.  Hill,  and  in  the  following  year  he 
attempted  a  much  more  important  work,  —  the 
designing  of  the  cruising  schooner  Intrepid^  of 
loi  feet  water-line,  for  Lloyd  Phoenix, 


The  Developnent  of  Design  in  America    133 

The  building  of  this  yacht,  of  a  new  model  and 
with  many  notable  changes  in  details  of  hull  and 
rig,  was  the  subject  of  a  very  heated  discussion 
during  the  winter;  but,  in  the  end,  like  Vindex, 
she  refused  to  sink,  as  predicted  by  some  of  the 
critics,  and  proved  herself  an  admirable  sea-boat, 
being  still  in  use  to-day,  after  cruising  many  thou- 
sands of  miles.  It  was  during  this  same  winter 
that  Mr.  Cary  Smith,  at  the  request  of  the  Sea- 
wanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht  Club,  delivered  a 
series  of  lectures  on  yacht  designing  which 
were  generally  appreciated. 

The  attention  of  American  yachtsmen  was 
attracted  to  the  British  cutter  then  in  the  course 
of  rapid  evolution,  the  recent  placing  of  all  or 
nearly  all  the  lead  ballast  in  the  keel  permitting 
a  reduction  of  breadth  which  gave  great  advan- 
tage under  the  rule,  —  the  consequence  being  that 
each  successive  season  witnessed  the  launching 
of  narrower  and  deeper  boats  with  greater  dis- 
placement and  heavier  keels.  A  small  party  of 
progressive  yachtsmen,  known  in  derision  as 
"  cutter  cranks,"  upheld  the  narrow  cutter  as 
far  safer  and  a  better  sea-boat  and  also  faster 
than  the  wide  sloop ;  the  great  majority  of  yachts- 
men still  believed  in  the  sloop  model  and  rig  as 


134  American  Yachting 

embodying  something  more  than  perfection; 
while  between  these  two  camps  were  a  moderate 
number  who,  condemning  the  centre-board  sloop 
as  she  then  existed,  and,  praising  the  general 
principles  of  the  cutter,  advocated  what  was 
called  the  "  compromise "  type,  of  moderate 
breadth,  much  greater  depth  and  draft  than 
the  sloop,  outside  ballast,  and  a  rig  patterned 
only  in  part  after  the  cutter. 

The  first  narrow  cutter  was  Muriel^  designed 
by  John  Harvey  and  built  by  Henry  Piepgrass 
at  Greenpoint,  Long  Island,  in  1878,  for  James 
Stillman.  She  was  45  feet  6  inches  over  all,  40 
feet  6  inches  on  the  water-line,  9  feet  2  inches  in 
width,  and  drew  7  feet  9  inches.  In  the  following 
year  the  same  builder  turned  out  a  smaller  cut- 
ter, Yolande,  designed  by  her  owner,  M.  Roosevelt 
Schuyler,  the  leader  of  the  cutter  advocates ;  she 
was  31  feet  3  inches  over  all,  26  feet  9  inches  on 
the  water-line,  7  feet  i  inch  in  width,  and  drew 
5  feet  2  inches.  Both  Muriel  and  Yolande  raced 
at  times  with  varying  success,  but  as  cruisers 
they  were  far  more  successful. 

The  first  really  important  result  of  the  agita- 
tion which  virtually  began  with  the  designing  of 
Vindex  eight  years  before  was  the  construction  of 


The  Development  of  Design  in  America     135 


Mischief,  the  "compromise  sloop,"  as  she  was 
called,  in  1879.  She  was  designed  by  Gary 
Smith  for  Joseph  R.  Busk,  an  Englishman  resi- 
dent in  New  York,  —  in  appearance  and  manners 
a  typical  Britisher,  but 
in  yachting  a  stanch 
partisan  of  the  centre- 
board sloop.  Mis- 
chief's  dimensions 
were :  length  over  all, 
67  feet  5  inches;  load 
water-line,  61  feet ; 
breadth,  19  feet  10 
inches  ;  draft  with- 
out board,  5  feet  4 
inches.  In  model  she 
differed  widely  from 
the  older  sloops  of  her 
class,  her  hull  was  built 
of  iron,  and  her  rig 
was  a  compromise   between 

In  the  early  days  of  yachting  all  the  vessels  of 
the  fleet  raced  together  as  one  class,  with  no  dis- 
tinction of  size  or  rig.  At  a  later  period  the  two 
leading  rigs,  schooner  and  sloop,  were  separated 
into  two  classes ;  and  in  course  of  time  the  yachts 


TCStheU. 


Mischief. 

sloop   and  cutter. 


136 


American  Yachting 


of  each  rig  were  subdivided  according  to  size. 
Toward  the  end  of  the  seventies,  by  a  process  of 
natural  segregation,  two  classes  began  to  form 
out  of  the  larger  sloop  yachts  owned  and  raced 
about  New  York.  The  larger  of  these  is  best 
known  as  the  70-foot  class,  the  smaller  as  the  50- 


Arrow. 


foot.  In  the  former  were  Grade,  Fanny,  Hilde- 
garde,  Vision,  and  Arrow ;  in  the  latter,  Vixen, 
Regina,  Madcap,  Whitecap,  and  some  smaller 
yachts  of  less  note.  When  Mischief  was  built, 
she  came  into  the  70-foot  class,  and  about  the 
same  time  the  50-foot  class  was  increased  by  the 
Ellsworth  sloop  Fanita, 

Mischief  soon    set    the   pace    for  the    older 
wooden  boats,  and  when  the  challenge  came  from 


The  Development  of  Design  in  America    137 

the  Bay  of  Quinte  Yacht  Club,  there  was  some 
very  keen  rivalry  already  existing  within  the 
class.  Arrow,  built  by  David  Kirby,  was  con- 
sidered by  many  the  fastest  boat  in  the  class ;  and 
in  order  to  make  certain  of  an  adequate  defence 
of  the  Cup  against  the  unknown  Atalanta,  the 
flag-officers  of  the  club,  Commodore  John  R. 
Waller,  Vice-Commodore  James  D.  Smith,  and 
Rear-Commodore  Hermann  Oelrichs,  formed  a 
syndicate  to  build  a  new  Kirby  sloop.  The  num- 
ber of  competitors  for  the  honor  of  meeting  the 
challenger,  and  the  ardor  of  the  champions  of 
Grade,  Arrow,  Mischief,  and  Hildegarde,  made 
the  choice  a  difficult  one,  and  for  the  first  time  it 
was  decided  to  hold  a  series  of  trial  races  for  the 
selection  of  the  one  defending  yacht. 

The  first  of  those  "trial  races"  which  have 
since  been  an  essential  element  of  every  Cup 
m.atch,  was  sailed  on  October  13,  1881,  Mischief 
winning  from  Grade,  Hildegarde,  and  Pocahontas. 
The  second  race  was  won  by  Grade,  and  the  third 
by  Mischief,  —  the  "  Iron  Pot,"  as  the  latter  was 
affectionately  nicknamed  by  her  admirers,  being 
chosen  to  defend  the  Cup.  As  already  related, 
the  final  races  between  Mischief  and  Atalanta 
were   very   hollow   affairs,   involving  no   special 


138  American  Yachting 

principles;  but  the  trial  races  were  really  impor- 
tant events,  the  result  demonstrating  the  supe- 
riority of  the  new  ideas  embodied  in  Mischief, 

The  three  important  men  of  this  interesting 
era  of  transition  from  old  to  new  are  Robert 
Center,  A.  Gary  Smith,  and  John  Hyslop.  To 
their  efforts,  both  individual  and  united,  are  due 
many  of  the  reforms  which  have  contributed  to 
raise  the  sport  to  a  higher  plane  and  to  advance 
the  science  of  yachting.  Robert  Center  was 
born  in  New  York  and  joined  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club  as  a  young  man  in  1862.  Possessed 
of  independent  means,  from  his  early  youth  he 
was  devoted  to  all  forms  of  sport,  his  chief  pleas- 
ure being  in  yachting.  In  every  sport  in  which 
he  was  interested  he  never  stopped  until  he  had 
mastered  the  technical  side  and  was  also  an 
expert  in  actual  performance.  In  yachting  he  was 
a  finished  draftsman,  well  versed  in  the  theory  of 
design,  a  thoroughly  practical  navigator,  and  usu- 
ally at  the  wheel  of  his  yacht  in  person.  He  was 
always  active  in  club  work,  filling  many  offices 
and  serving  on  many  committees  in  the  New 
York  and  Seawanhaka  clubs.  He  rode  one  of 
the  first  velocipedes  brought  to  New  York  from 
Paris  in  1867,  he  was  one  of  the  most  enthusi- 


The  Development  of  Design  in  America    1 39 

astic  members  of  the  New  York  Bicycle  Club  in 
the  days  of  the  old  high  wheel,  and  he  again 
resumed  the  sport  and  rode  regularly  when  the 
modern  pneumatic-tired  wheel  came  into  use. 
His  death  was  due  to  an  accident  while  riding  a 
wheel,  a  heavy  wagon  turning  from  the  wrong 
side  of  a  car  and  striking  him  down.  He  was  a 
good  friend  to  all  young  yachtsmen,  and  by  his 
precept  and  example  did  much  to  induce  yachts- 
men to  follow  him  in  the  study  of  designing, 
navigation,  and  practical  sailing. 

Archibald  Gary  Smith  was  born  in  New  York, 
the  son  of  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  and  as  a 
boy  developed  such  a  fondness  for  yachts  that 
when  eighteen  years  old  he  was  allowed  to  enter 
the  shop  of  Captain  "  Bob "  Fish,  at  Pamrapo. 
Under  that  capable  mentor  he  learned  the  art  of 
modelling,  as  practised  at  that  day,  with  some 
gouges  and  chisels  and  a  block  of  soft  wood,  and 
also  the  construction  and  rigging  of  yachts.  He 
became  an  expert  skipper  in  the  open  racing 
yachts  of  the  day,  winning  many  races  in  yachts 
of  his  own  design.  Later  in  life  he  studied  paint- 
ing and  made  a  reputation  by  his  marine  pictures. 
An  intimate  personal  friend  of  Mr.  Center,  he 
undertook  to  design   Vindex  for  him,  being  the 


I40  American  Yachting 

first  man,  so  far  as  the  records  show,  to  discard 
the  model  and  make  a  design  for  a  yacht.  By 
degrees  he  abandoned  painting,  his  time  being 
fully  occupied  in  designing  yachts  and  commer- 
cial steamers.  He  has  served  as  measurer  for 
both  the  New  York  and  the  Seawanhaka  clubs, 
and  he  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  measure- 
ment legislation  and  similar  technical  work.  To 
him  is  due  the  great  change  in  the  models  of  the 
Sound  and  river  steamers,  the  old  hollow  bows 
giving  way  to  the  modern  round,  full  lines  first 
used  successfully  in  racing  yachts  and  then 
tested  by  him  in  the  Richard  Peck,  the  City  of 
Lowell,  diVid.  the  Chester  W,  Chapin,  —  all  notable 
boats. 

John  Hyslop  began  his  yachting  by  sailing 
models  in  Liverpool  many  years  ago.  Early  in 
the  sixties  he  moved  to  New  York,  and  through- 
out a  life  of  business  activity  he  has  always  found 
time  to  work  for  the  advancement  of  yachting 
and  at  intervals  to  follow  it  as  a  sport.  After 
sailing  models  for  a  time  in  this  country,  he  built 
and  owned  several  centre-board  sloops  of  the  com- 
mon type;  but  in  1876  he  designed  and  had  built 
Petrel,  already  described,  racing  her  very  success- 
fully for  some  years.     Prior  to  this  he  devoted 


The  Development  of  Design  in  America    141 

much  time  to  the  study  of  form,  and  about  1877 
gave  to  the  world  the  result  in  the  formulation  of 
the  theory  of  the  distribution  of  the  displacement 
according  to  the  characteristics  of  the  wave  form, 
now  universally  accepted  by  designers.  In  this 
work  he  perfected  and  put  to  practical  use  for  the 
first  time  the  ingenious  but  incomplete  theories 
of  John  Scott  Russell. 

From  his  first  connection  with  yachting,  Mr. 
Hyslop  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  allied  ques- 
tions of  design  and  measurement.  He  was  meas- 
urer of  the  clubs  to  which  he  then  belonged,  and 
always  ready  to  battle  for  better  rules  and 
methods.  To  him  is  due  the  length  and  sail 
area  rule,  first  adopted  by  the  Seawanhaka  Corin- 
thian Yacht  Club  in  1882,  and  remodelled  the 
following  year,  when  it  was  adopted  by  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club,  and  later  became  the  universal 
rule  in  this  country.  To  him  is  also  due  the 
rule  now  in  use  by  the  Larchmont  and  Seawan- 
haka clubs,  and  in  a  modified  form  by  the  Yacht 
Racing  Association  of  Long  Island  Sound.  For 
many  years  he  measured  the  yachts  of  the  New 
York,  Seawanhaka,  and  Larchmont  clubs,  in- 
cluding many  of  the  Cup  competitors. 


CHAPTER   X 


THE   BATTLE    OF   THE   TYPES 


The  few  cutters 
built  during  the 
seventies,  Vindex, 
Petrel,  Valiant,  and 
Muriel,  were  insig- 
nificant in  compari- 
son with  the  large 
number  of  centre- 
board yachts  of  all 
sizes,  and  they  were 
in  no  way  threaten- 
ing to  the  national 
type;  the  designing 
of  Mischief,  how- 
ever, brought  several 
new  elements  into  the  growing  controversy,  and 
the  adherents  of  the  extreme  old  type  of  wooden 
sloop  and  of  her  rule-o'-thumb  builder  were  called 
on  to  defend  themselves  more  actively.  Mischief 
showed  something  of  her  quality  in  her  first  sea- 

142 


Madge. 
Typical  cutter  rig  of  1 880. 


The  Battle  of  the  Types  143 

son,  1880;  but  in  the  following  summer  and  in 
the  trial  races  of  the  fall  she  fully  proved  her 
superiority  to  the  larger  sloops  of  her  class, 
and  justified  the  claims  of  the  more  moderate 
reformers. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1881  there  was 
launched  another  yacht  of  Mr.  Smith's  design 
that  represented  a  still  more  advanced  step 
toward  the  cutter.  Valkyr,  built  to  the  order 
of  Dr.  B.  F.  Dawson,  of  New  York,  may  be 
classed  as  a  compromise  cutter  in  distinction  from 
Mischief,  the  compromise  sloop.  She  was  much 
wider  and  of  less  depth  and  draft  than  the  British 
cutter  of  the  day,  and  she  had  a  centre-board  as 
well  as  a  keel;  but  in  her  general  form  she  re- 
sembled the  cutter.  She  carried  a  cutter  rig,  and 
her  great  depth  and  outside  lead  keel  marked  her 
as  of  a  type  having  nothing  in  common  with  the 
centre-board  sloop.  She  was  54  feet  6  inches 
over  all,  and  46  feet  6  inches  on  the  water-line, 
thus  with  a  plumb  stem  having  ten  feet  of  after 
overhang  fashioned  like  a  cutter's  counter.  Her 
breadth  was  15  feet,  depth  7  feet  3  inches,  and 
draft  5  feet  3  inches.  The  centre-board  was  of 
moderate  size,  auxiliary  to  the  keel.  She  proved 
a  very  stanch  and  able  cruising  boat,  and  even- 


144  American  Yachting 

tually  defeated  the  crack  skimming-dishes  of  the 
50-foot  class.  Whatever  might  be  urged  against 
the  extreme  narrow  cutter,  Valkyr  had  to  be 
dealt  with  solely  on  her  merits,  as  embodying 
the  essential  points  of  the  cutter  adapted  to 
American  wants  and  waters. 

Later  in  the  same  year  was  launched  a  still 
more  extreme  type,  a  keel  cutter  with  the  depth 
of  the  English  type  but  of  greater  breadth, — 
Oriva,  designed  by  John  Harvey  for  C.  Smith 
Lee,  of  the  Seawanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht  Club, 
and  built  by  Henry  Piepgrass.  Her  dimensions 
were:  length  over  all,  62  feet;  load  water-line, 
50  feet ;  breadth,  1 1  feet  8  inches ;  depth,  9  feet ; 
draft,  9  feet  6  inches.  With  the  other  dimen- 
sions of  the  English  20-tonner  of  the  day,  she  had 
about  two  feet  more  breadth,  to  fit  her  to  Ameri- 
can conditions.  While  the  rig  of  Valkyr  was 
somewhat  modified  in  detail  from  the  true  British 
cutter,  that  of  Oriva  was  after  the  conventional 
pattern,  even  to  the  loose-footed  mainsail  and  the 
chain  halyards  for  her  jib. 

To  these  four  representatives  of  various  types 
was  soon  added  a  fifth  in  the  cutter  Madge,  the 
champion  lo-tonner  of  her  day,  shipped  out  from 
Glasgow  to   New  York   on   the   Anchor   Liner 


The  Battle  of  the  Types  145 

Devonia,  on  much  the  same  venture  as  that  of  the 
America  thirty  years  before.  Her  owner,  James 
Coats,  of  Paisley,  still  a  well-known  personality 
in  Scotch  yachting,  was  then  an  active  racing 
man.  She  was  built  in  1879  from  the  design  of 
George  L.  Watson,  then  at  the  beginning  of  his 
career,  and  for  three  seasons  she  was  most  suc- 
cessful in  the  Scotch  and  English  regattas.  She 
was  a  typical  narrow  cutter,  her  dimensions 
being:  length  over  all,  46  feet  i  inch;  load 
water-line,  38  feet  6  inches;  breadth,  7  feet  9 
inches;  depth,  6  feet  6  inches;  draft,  7  feet  10 
inches.  She  was  built  of  wood,  but  in  a  manner 
far  superior  to  that  of  the  sloops  of  the  time; 
she  carried  ten  tons  of  lead  on  her  keel ;  and  her 
great  depth  gave  her  headroom  in  the  cabins 
under  a  flush  deck,  without  the  inevitable  "  cabin 
trunk  "  of  even  the  larger  American  yachts. 

Crude  as  they  look  to-day,  Madge  s  ironwork, 
spars,  blocks,  and  fittings  were  years  in  advance 
of  the  current  American  practice.  With  a  short 
lower  mast  and  an  excessively  long  topmast,  the 
latter  fitted  to  house,  she  had  comparatively  little 
canvas  in  her  mainsail,  but  with  the  big  club  top- 
sail set  she  showed  a  lofty  rig.  Her  bowsprit 
was  so  rigged  as  to  house  or  run  in  on  deck,  and 


146 


American  Yachting 


in  heavy  weather  she  could  quickly  be  brought 
down  to  snug  spars  and  a  very  small  but  effec- 
tive spread  of  sail.  Her  decks  were  kept  beauti- 
fully white,  her  topsides  were  a  glossy  black,  and 
her  bottom  was  coppered  to  a  point  well  above 
the  water-line,  giving  her  a  strange  look  to  Amer- 


Madge. 

ican  eyes.  While  many  of  the  sloops  were  at 
that  time  manned  by  such  hands  as  could  be 
picked  up  alongshore  for  a  race,  no  two  dressed 
alike,  the  crew  of  Madge  looked  smart  and  trim 
in  their  working  uniform,  or  knit  jerseys  and 
knit  caps,  with  Mr.  Coats'  colors,  blue  and  white. 
In  the  preceding  year  Mr.  Coats,  who  had  lived 
in  America,  imported  from  America  a  Newport 


The  Battle  of  the  Types  147 

cat-boat,  the  George  and  Annie,  with  a  young 
Yankee  skipper,  and  raced  her  on  the  Clyde  to 
test  her  with  the  small  Scotch  boats.  In  a  simi- 
lar spirit  he  determined  to  send  Madge,  then  the 
representative  boat  of  her  type  and  class,  to 
America,  to  test  conclusions  with  the  centre-board 
sloops.  Being  unable  to  make  the  trip  with  her, 
she  was  intrusted  to  his  skipper,  James  Duncan, 
a  very  clever  yacht  sailor  and  a  Scotchman  with 
all  the  native  shrewdness  and  hard  sense  of  his 
people.  The  management  of  the  yacht  was  in 
the  hands  of  Captain  Duncan  and  Mr.  W.  L. 
Blatch,  a  Scotchman  residing  in  New  York  and  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club. 

On  her  arrival  at  New  York,  on  August  16, 
Madge  was  hoisted  over  the  side  of  the  Devonia 
and  towed  to  Staten  Island,  making  her  moor- 
ings off  the  Seawanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht  Club 
station  at  Tompkinsville.  She  was  quickly  re- 
fitted by  Captain  Duncan  and  his  crew,  and  in  a 
few  days  was  sailing  about  the  bay.  The  interest 
in  yachting  was  very  keen  at  this  time,  the  com- 
ing trials  of  the  big  sloops,  the  match  for  the 
America  Cup  which  was  to  follow,  and  the  grow- 
ing controversy  on  technical  subjects,  all  helping 
to  enliven  it.     Madge  was,  for  the  moment,  the 


148  American  Yachting 

centre  of  attraction,  and  every  yacht  about  New 
York  was  out  to  watch  her  sail.  Somehow  she 
seemed  to  sail  but  poorly,  and  a  number  of  yachts 
passed  her  in  the  informal  scrub  races.  Mean- 
while arrangements  were  made  by  Mr.  Blatch  for 
private  matches  with  some  of  the  fastest  repre- 
sentatives of  the  sloop  class.  Schemer,  Wave,  and 
Mistral,  while  negotiations  were  started  for  a 
match  at  Newport  with  the  Boston  sloop,  Shadow, 
In  the  popular  mind  and  in  the  daily  press  the 
whole  matter  was  settled  before  the  first  race. 
The  narrow  "  diving-bell,"  as  she  was  called,  had 
no  chance  against  the  sloops  which  sailed  on 
top  of  the  water  instead  of  cutting  through  it. 

The  first  race,  for  a  $100  cup,  was  with 
Schemer,  one  of  the  best  of  her  class,  the  course 
being  from  off  Staten  Island,  out  around  the 
Sandy  Hook  light-ship  and  return,  in  a  south- 
west wind,  light  to  moderate.  At  the  outset 
there  was  hardly  a  question  as  to  the  result 
among  the  many  spectators,  but  to  the  surprise 
of  nearly  all,  as  soon  as  Madge  got  under  way 
with  her  big  club  topsail  set,  she  moved  very 
fast,  and  before  the  Southwest  Spit  was  passed 
she  had  won  the  race.  She  finally  finished  5 
minutes  41  seconds  in  the  lead.     On  the  follow- 


The  Battle  of  the  Types 


149 


ing  day,  September  28,  she  was  matched  with 
Wave,  another  noted  sloop,  the  weather  being 
light  and  fluky.  Madge  won  by  11  minutes  46 
seconds,  actual  time. 

The  third  victim  was  Mistral,  whose  owner 
had  readily  agreed  to  a  match  for  a  ^250  cup  at 
the  time  when  Madge 
stock  was  at  its  lowest. 
There  was  more  wind 
and  some  sea  in  the 
Lower  Bay,  and  Mis- 
tral, after  shaking  her 
rig  to  pieces  and  partly 
filling,  was  glad  to  give 
up  and  go  home,  leav- 
ing    Madge     to      sail 

around      the     light-ship  Schemer, 

alone.  On  the  fourth  day,  the  third  of  the 
Seawanhaka  match,  there  was  no  wind,  and 
Schemer  was  selected  in  preference  to  Wave,  She 
was  first  away  in  a  very  light  air,  and  Madge 
sailed  a  stern  chase  all  day,  being  seven  minutes 
astern  at  the  light-ship,  and  the  same  at  the 
Southwest  Spit.  The  run  in  from  the  Spit  was 
before  the  wind,  Madge  dragging  her  heavy  keel 
at  a  depth  of  eight  feet,  while  Schemer,  drawing 


ISO 


American  Yachting 


three  feet,  had  her  board  housed.  Madge  made 
up  two  minutes  in  the  few  miles  under  conditions 
which  were  considered  prohibitive  for  her,  and 
though  beaten  on  actual  time,  she  won  by  allow- 
ance.    In  a  private  match  with  Schemer,  set  for 


Shadow. 
Lines  taken  from  yacht  by  John  Hyslop  and  W.  P.  Stephens. 


the  following  day,  the  latter  did  not  come  to  the 
line  and  Madge  sailed  over  the  course.  A  match 
was  made  with  Paloma,  another  sloop,  but  it  was 
not  sailed,  and  a  final  match  with  Wave  also 
failed,  leaving  Madge  the  unquestioned  champion 
of  New  York  waters.  After  this  she  sailed  for 
Newport,  where  she  was  matched  with  Shadow, 
Built  in   1871,  and  still  in  commission,  with  a 


The  Battle  of  the  Types  151 

racing  record  covering  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, Shadow  represents  the  best  type  of  centre- 
board sloop,  well  proportioned  and  fairly  deep. 
She  was  built  by  the  Herreshoffs,  and  the  model 
is  claimed  by  them,  but  there  is  some  difference 
of  opinion  on  this  point.  The  yacht  was  built 
for  Dr.  Sisson,  of  New  Bedford,  and,  according 
to  the  current  belief  among  New  Bedford  yachts- 
men, he  was  personally  responsible  for  the  model. 
It  is  certain  that  the  yacht,  which  has  many 
points  of  excellence  and  has  proved  wonderfully 
successful  through  an  unusually  long  racing  life, 
differs  much  from  those  Herreshoff  models  which 
immediately  preceded  as  well  as  those  which 
followed  her,  and  gives  no  evidence  of  relation- 
ship. Her  dimensions  are:  length  over  all, 
37  feet  I  inch ;  load  water-line,  34  feet  2  inches ; 
breadth,  extreme,  14  feet  4  inches;  breadth  on 
water-line,  13  feet  i  inch;  draft,  without  board, 
5  feet  4  inches.  She  carried  five  tons  of  ballast 
inside  the  skin,  and  the  usual  sloop  rig. 

The  first  race  was  sailed  over  a  leeward  course 
and  return,  —  about  twelve  miles  each  way.  Off 
the  wind  Madge  gained  over  a  minute  and  a  half, 
but  in  starting  to  windward  she  was  poorly 
handled,  two  of  her  crew  being  green  hands  in 


152 


American  Yachting 


cutter  sailing,  and  one  of  her  big  spreaders  was 
broken,  laming  her  on  the  port  tack.  She  was 
eventually  beaten  by  nearly  twenty-three  minutes. 
On  the  following  day  they  sailed  over  a  30-mile 
triangle,  Shadow  carrying  one  reef  part  of  the  time. 

She  was  out-sailed  over 
the  windward  leg  and 
the  reach,  but  just  held 
her  own  under  spin- 
naker. Three  days 
later  a  match  was  sailed 
with  Wave,  over  a  30- 
mile  triangle,  Madge 
gaining  five  minutes 
in  the  ten  miles  to 
windward,  but  finally 
winning  by  only  two 
minutes,  on  actual 
time.  In  all  of  these 
races  Madge  was  allowed  time  in  varying  amounts 
according  to  the  rules  of  the  Seawanhaka  and 
Eastern  clubs;  owing  to  the  very  great  varia- 
tion in  type  and  dimensions,  there  was  a  great 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  what  would  be  a 
fair  allowance  between  her  and  the  sloops;  but 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  though   in  many  ways   the 


Shadow. 
Typical  sloop  rig  of  1880. 


The  Battle  of  the  Types  153 

smallest  boat,  she  won  six  races  out  of  seven  on 
actual  time,  without  calling  on  her  allowance. 

This  bare  record  gives  but  a  faint  idea  of 
Madges  superiority,  which  was  shown  in  the 
mechanical  details  of  construction,  rig,  and  sails, 
the  manner  in  which  the  yacht  was  kept  in  per- 
fect shape  for  racing,  the  skilful  handling  of  Cap- 
tain Duncan,  and  the  work  of  his  crew.  Apart 
from  the  breaking  of  her  spreader  in  the  race 
with  Shadow,  Madge  sailed  the  series  without 
injury,  while  Schemer,  Mistral,  and  Wave  were 
more  or  less  in  the  condition  of  Columbia  after 
her  races  with  Livonia  in  1871,  —  hors  de  combat 

The  victory  of  Madge  proved  almost  beyond 
the  possibility  of  dispute  all  that  had  been  urged 
against  the  shoal-draft  centre-board  sloop  and 
schooner,  and  left  the  partisans  of  this  type  for 
the  time  confounded.  The  very  confidence  and 
vehemence  which  they  had  displayed  while  Madge 
was  idly  sailing  about  with  no  topsail,  made  her 
ultimate  victory  a  more  complete  rout.  Shadow 
had  in  a  measure  saved  the  sloop  cause  from 
utter  extinction ;  but  then  she,  in  common  with 
other  eastern  yachts,  was  of  a  far  less  extreme 
type  than  that  produced  by  and  used  on  the 
Sound.     On   the   part  of    the    "cutter  cranks" 


154 


American  Yachting 


the  result  was  accepted  as  final  proof  of  the 
superiority  of  the  most  extreme  type  of  narrow 
cutter.  Between  these  extremes,  the  silenced 
and  confounded  sloop  advocates  and  the  joyous 
and  hopeful  "cutter  cranks,"  were  many  who 
began,   in   varying    degree,   to    appreciate    that. 


Grade. 

without  going  to  extremes,  there  was  much  in 
the  leading  features  of  the  cutter,  in  the  mak- 
ing of  sails,  and  in  the  perfection  of  British 
racing  routine,  that  was  lacking  in  American 
yachting.  Like  the  America,  Madge  taught  a 
lesson  of  careful  thought  and  earnest  work  in 
all  branches  of  yachting. 


The  Battle  of  the  Types  155 

Almost  coincident  with  the  final  Madge  races 
at  Newport  came  the  trial  races  between  Gracie^ 
Hildegarde,  Pocahontas,  and  Mischief,  in  which 
the  latter  triumphed,  while  Pocahontas,  the  new 
boat  of  the  year,  and  built  to  vindicate  the  cause 
of  the  shoal  sloop,  made  an  ignominious  failure. 

The  battle  of  type  grew  hotter  and  hotter 
from  this  time  on,  there  being  practically  three 
parties  participating.  The  largest  was  that  which, 
after  abandoning  its  original  position,  maintained 
the  cause  of  the  centre-board  sloop  with  certain 
modifications  in  the  form  of  a  rather  deeper 
model,  some  outside  ballast,  and  improvements 
in  rig.  The  next  in  size  took  the  side  of  what 
may  best  be  called  the  compromise  cutter,  of 
moderate  breadth  and  draft,  with  keel  or  centre- 
board according  to  circumstances,  and  a  modi- 
fication of  the  cutter  rig,  with  laced  cotton 
mainsail  and  fixed  bowsprit.  The  third  party 
included  the  original  "  cutter  cranks "  and  quite 
a  large  following  of  converts  in  the  wake  of 
Madge,  all  upholding  the  English  or  Scotch 
cutter  of  the  day,  very  narrow  and  deep,  with 
housing  bowsprit,  immense  club  topsail,  and 
loose-footed  mainsail,  the  foot  not  laced  to  the 
boom ;  all  sails  being  of  hemp. 


156  American  Yachting 

During  the  winter  two  new  cutters  were 
started,  —  Bedouin,  of  70  feet  water-line,  and 
Wenonah,  of  60  feet,  —  both  designed  by  John 
Harvey  and  built  by  Piepgrass,  the  former  for 
Archibald  Rogers  and  the  latter  for  James  Still- 
man.  At  the  same  time  the  15-tonner  Maggie, 
the  best  of  her  class,  was  purchased  in  England 
and  shipped  by  steamer  to  Boston  for  George  H. 
Warren  of  the  Eastern  Yacht  Club. 

The  season  of  1883  was  an  exciting  one,  many 
races  being  sailed  with  varying  results.  The 
new  cutters  were  mainly  in  charge  of  imported 
British  skippers;  but  their  Corinthian  owners 
were  desirous  of  handling  the  tiller  themselves 
in  the  races,  and  as  they  lacked  experience  in  this 
type  of  boat,  they  were  frequently  beaten  by  the 
sloops.  At  the  same  time,  however,  they  scored 
some  important  victories,  the  proportion  regu- 
larly increasing  as  they  became  better  versed  in 
the  handling  of  the  new  craft. 

The  controversy  was  by  no  means  limited  to 
the  yacht  fleet  and  the  yacht  clubs,  but  soon 
made  its  way  into  business  and  general  club 
circles,  especially  about  New  York,  every  chance 
meeting  of  yachtsmen  being  the  occasion  of  a 
discussion   over    types   and    models,   over   Lap- 


The  Battle  of  the  Types  157 

thorne's  sails  as  compared  with  those  of  Wilson 
or  Sawyer,  or  the  merits  of  some  favorite  builder 
or  designer.  Not  the  least  amusing  part  of  the 
dispute  was  that  in  the  press,  where  the  war 
waged  fast  and  furious  for  several  years.  The 
leading  partisans  of  the  American  type  were 
Captain  Coffin  and  Captain  McKay,  both  old 
reporters  skilled  by  years  of  practice  in  journal- 
ism. The  former,  one  of  the  old-time  merchant 
captains  in  his  youth,  a  member  of  the  noted 
Coffin  family  of  Nantucket,  was  an  expert  ste- 
nographer, and  for  many  years  reported  every 
Sunday  the  sermons  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher. 
His  practical  knowledge  of  the  sea  was  backed 
by  good  judgment  and  a  knowledge  of  yacht 
racing  derived  from  long  experience  as  a  re- 
porter ;  but  in  matters  pertaining  strictly  to  naval 
architecture  and  yacht  designing,  he  lacked  a 
technical  education.  Captain  McKay  was  a 
member  of  the  famous  Boston  family  of  ship- 
builders and  was  brought  up  in  a  shipyard, 
being  well  grounded  in  the  theoretical  side  of 
ship-building;  later  in  life  he  commanded  mer- 
chant vessels  and  finally  became  a  reporter  and 
writer  on  nautical  subjects. 

The  foremost   exponent   of    the   side   of    the 


158  American  Yachting 

"  cutter  cranks  "  was  C.  P.  Kunhardt,  an  Ameri- 
can and  a  graduate  of  Annapolis,  an  enthusiast 
on  the  subject  of  yachting.  Brilliant  and  well 
educated,  with  a  better  technical  training  in 
naval  architecture  than  his  opponents  and  with 
a  broader  technical  knowledge  of  yacht  design- 
ing and  the  general  history  of  yachting  abroad, 
he  was  a  fearless  fighter  and  the  possessor  of 
an  almost  unlimited  vocabulary.  At  the  time 
of  the  first  inception  of  the  cutter  agitation,  or 
about  1878,  he  took  sides  against  the  "  half -tide 
rocks,"  the  "diving-bells,"  and  the  "lead  mines," 
as  the  British  boats  were  then  called;  but  a 
little  later  he  experienced  a  change  of  heart, 
and  became  the  most  earnest  advocate  of  the 
extreme  narrow  cutter.  The  battle  of  these 
giants,  beside  whom  all  other  writers  were  pyg- 
mies, added  zest  to  the  verbal  discussions  of 
yachtsmen  within  the  clubs.  While,  on  the  one 
hand,  every  one  of  the  frequent  capsizes  of  centre- 
board yachts  was  exploited  as  evidence  of  the 
utter  unsuitability  of  the  type  and  of  its  inherent 
danger;  on  the  other,  such  occurrences,  even  in 
the  case  of  Mohawk,  were  laid  to  ignorance  and 
carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  skipper,  and  not 
to  the  proportions  and  specific  faults  of  model. 


The  Battle  of  the  Types 


159 


The  fleet  now  included  Grade,  Mischief, 
Fanny,  and  Hildegarde,  with  the  cutters  Bedouin 
and  Wenonah  in  the  70-foot  class ;  Vixen,  Regina, 
Valkyr,  and  Oriva  in  the  50-foot  class,  with  the 
imported  cutter  Maggie  and  some  smaller  cutters, 
added  to  which  were  various  "  compromise  "  mod- 
els. Each  race 
was  seized  on  by 
these  writers  and 
made  to  prove 
the  truth  of  their 
arguments,  pro 
or  con. 

In  the  winter 
of  1882  -  1883 
two  important 
additions  were 
made  to  the 
schooner  fleet, — 
the  cruising  schooner  Fortuna,  designed  by  Cary 
Smith  for  Henry  S.  Hovey,  a  fine  example  of  the 
keel  type ;  and  Grayling,  modelled  by  Philip  Ells- 
worth for  Latham  A.  Fish  of  the  Atlantic  Yacht 
Club.  Built  for  racing  according  to  the  prevailing 
theories  of  the  centre-board  school,  Grayling,  on 
a  water-line  of  81  feet,  drew  but  5  feet  9  inches, 


Fortuna. 


i6o  American  Yacbting 

with  all  her  ballast  inside.  The  construction  of 
such  a  yacht  was  naturally  a  bone  of  contention, 
one  party  claiming  that  she  would  be  dangerous 
to  a  degree,  and  the  other  that,  if  not  absolutely 
non-capsizable  like  a  cutter,  she  could  only  be 
capsized  by  such  gross  carelessness  as  no  compe- 
tent yachtsman  would  be  guilty  of.  The  dispute 
was  brought  to  an  abrupt  termination  early  in 
May,  when,  on  the  occasion  of  her  trial  trip,  and 
within  a  couple  of  miles  of  her  mooring,  she  was 
struck  by  a  flaw  of  wind  and  ignominiously  cap- 
sized and  sank,  her  owner,  skipper,  and  crew 
being  rescued  by  near-by  boats.  By  an  odd  coin- 
cidence Mr.  Kunhardt,  who  had  been  absent  from 
New  York  for  some  weeks,  returned  suddenly 
and  unexpectedly  from  Central  America  on  the 
morning  after  the  capsize,  in  time  to  make  the  most 
of  an  event  which  he  had  practically  predicted. 

Throughout  1883  and  the  following  year  many 
good  races  were  sailed,  the  interest  between  the 
opposing  factions  being  so  keen  that  old  friend- 
ships were  severed  and  the  yachting  world  of 
New  York  and  in  part  Boston  was  divided  into 
two  hostile  camps.  Grayling  was  raised  and 
speedily  repaired,  and  in  the  capable  hands  of 
Captain  Norman  Terry  soon  made  a  reputation 


The  Battle  of  the  Types 


i6i 


for  speed  in  smooth  water  and  a  good  breeze, 
while  Fanny,  Fanita,  and  others  of  the  skimming- 
dishes  won  under  similar  conditions.  There  were 
many  occasions,  however,  especially  in  very  light 
weather,  when  the  heavy-displacement  cutters 
won ;  and  still 
more  when  they 
scored  easy  vic- 
tories in  hard 
weather,  or  over 
courses  which 
the  centre-board 
boats  did  not 
care  to  face.  The 
building  of  large 
yachts  of  extreme 
light  draft  became  less  and  less  common,  and 
the  influence  of  the  cutter  type  was  visible  every- 
where in  deeper  hulls,  more  freeboard,  less  sheer, 
longer  counters,  outside  ballast,  low  cabin  trunks, 
if  not  flush  decks,  and  more  or  less  exact  imita- 
tions of  the  cutter  rig. 

From  the  early  days  of  yachting.  New  York  has 
been  the  national  centre  of  the  sport,  more  promi- 
nent in  many  ways  than  Boston  and  claiming 
first  attention  from  the  historian;    but  yachting 

M 


Grayling. 


1 62  American  Yachting 

has  always  received  a  generous  and  hearty  sup- 
port from  all  classes  about  Massachusetts  Bay, 
and  in  the  matter  of  type  the  development  has 
always  been  of  a  more  healthy  form.  While  the 
centre-board  skimming-dish  existed  in  consider- 
able numbers  and  outrageous  proportions,  there 
has  always  been  an  appreciation  of  the  value  of 
depth  and  draft  as  factors  of  safety,  even  in  centre- 
board boats;  while  the  keel  type  has  been  well 
represented  in  point  of  numbers  and  in  quality  of 
model.  While  Shadow  was  deeper  than  most 
of  her  class,  they  in  turn  averaged  much  greater 
depth  and  draft  than  the  New  York  yachts  of 
similar  classes.  One  of  the  early  American  cut- 
ters, designed  by  D.  J.  Lawlor  of  East  Boston, 
was  built  in  1878  for  Francis  E.  Peabody,  of  the 
Eastern  Yacht  Club;  Enterprise,  as  she  was 
named,  was  50  feet  over  all,  43  feet  9  inches  on 
the  water-line,  15  feet  8  inches  breadth,  6  feet 
deep,  and  drawing  7  feet  3  inches.  At  the  time 
when  the  keel  type  was  represented  in  New  York 
only  by  half  a  dozen  cutters,  Boston  could  boast 
of  a  fine  fleet  of  keel  yachts,  racing  and  cruising 
along  the  whole  eastern  coast. 

After  her  Newport  m2itches  Madg-e  was  laid  up 
there  and  Captain  Duncan  returned  home,  con- 


The  Battle  of  the  Types  163 

tinuing  in  Mr.  Coats'  employ,  and  in  1883  taking 
command  of  the  wonderful  68-tonner  Marjorie, 
also  designed  by  Watson,  which  he  handled  so 
successfully  for  many  years.  There  was  no  rea- 
son for  returning  Madge  to  Scotland,  and  she 
was  used  for  a  time  by  friends  of  Mr.  Coats,  being 
finally  sold,  and  falling  into  the  hands  of  vandals 
who  proceeded  to  fit  her  up  for  cruising  by  build- 
ing bulwarks  a  foot  high  and  three  inches  thick 
around  her  deck  and  filling  her  interior  with 
heavy  furniture  with  marble  tops;  at  the  same 
time  her  coppered  sides  were  painted  white  to  the 
water-line,  until  she  was  but  a  caricature  of  her- 
self. Later  on  she  was  sold  to  Lake  Ontario, 
where,  still  hampered  by  a  part  of  this  weight, 
she  was  sailed  mainly  with  the  idea  of  carrying 
her  big  club  topsail  as  long  as  possible,  so  that 
she  was  usually  seen  with  sails  almost  flat  on  the 
water. 

So  far  as  the  recapture  of  the  America  Cup 
was  concerned,  the  venture  of  Madge  was  a  seri- 
ous mistake,  as  it  opened  the  eyes  of  American 
yachtsmen  in  a  measure  to  the  weakness  of  the 
national  type  and  the  real  qualities  of  the  cutter. 
There  was  for  a  time  a  rumor  that  Marjorie 
would  challenge  for  the  cup  in  1884,  but  nothing 


164  American  Yachting 

came  of  it ;  though  it  is  now  safe  to  say  that,  had 
she  come  out  here  in  that  year  with  Duncan  in 
command,  the  whole  history  of  yachting  would 
have  been  changed,  for  she  would  in  all  probabil- 
ity have  taken  it  home  with  her.  Though  the 
first  confidence  in  the  old  sloop  had  been  rudely 
shaken,  national  prejudice  was  still  so  powerful 
that  one  of  the  existing  sloops,  Grade,  Mischief, 
or  Fanny,  would  have  been  selected  to  meet  her, 
or  a  new  sloop  would  have  been  built.  In  this 
latter  case  there  would  have  been  little  doubt  of 
the  result,  as  the  old  builders  of  the  day  were 
vacillating  weakly  between  the  old  ideas  and  the 
new,  —  not  altogether  firm  in  their  belief  in  the 
former,  and  neither  confident  in  the  latter  nor 
competent  to  utilize  them. 

When  the  next  challenge  came,  the  course  of 
evolution  was  moving  with  quickened  pace  and  a 
great  change  was  already  imminent. 


CHAPTER  XI 

BURGESS   AND   THE   AMERICA   CUP 

The  challenge  which  finally  came  late  in  1884 
was  virtually  a  double  one,  the  first  informal 
notice,  a  letter  from  J.  Beavor  Webb,  an  Irish 
designer,  naming  the  two  90-ton  cutters  designed 
by  him.  Genes ta  and  Galatea,  with  the  request 
that  in  the  event  of  the  defeat  of  the  former  the 
latter  might  be  permitted  to  race  during  the  same 
season.  These  two  yachts  were  the  latest  repre- 
sentatives of  the  principal  racing  class  in  British 
waters,  Galatea  being  as  yet  only  on  paper,  while 
Genes  ta  had  just  completed  her  first  season  by 
taking  the  bulk  of  the  prizes  from  Irex,  then  in 
her  first  year.  While  both  were  of  the  same 
breadth,  —  1 5  feet,  —  Genesta  was  8 1  feet  on  the 
water-line  and  90  feet  over  all,  and  Galatea  was 
5  feet  longer  on  the  water-line  and  10  feet  over 
all;  both  drawing  the  same,  13  feet  6  inches. 
Genesta  was  of  composite  build,  steel  frames  and 
wood  skin,  with  her  ballast  of  72  long  tons  entirely 
in   her  lead   keel.     Galatea  was   built  of    steel, 

165 


1 66  American  Yacbting 

with  78  tons  of  lead  moulded  into  the  ballast 
trough  formed  by  her  steel  keel.  As  events 
proved,  Genesta  was  the  better  vessel,  though  a 
part  of  her  superiority  was  due  to  the  handling 
she  received  from  Captain  John  Carter,  one  of 
the  best  racing  skippers  of  his  day.  Both  of  these 
challenges,  when  finally  confirmed  in  due  form, 
were    accepted,   the  general   terms    being    that 


Genesta. 

each  match  should  consist  of  a  series  of  two  out 
of  three  races,  one  over  the  club  course  and  the 
others  outside  Sandy  Hook,  the  challenging 
vessel  being  met  in  each  case  by  a  single  repre- 
sentative of  the  defending  club,  named  in  advance 
of  the  first  race. 

The  fact  that  the  two  challengers  were  from 
eleven  to  sixteen  feet  longer  on  the  load  water- 
line  than  the  largest  sloops  and  cutters  of  the 
New  York  Yacht  Club  fleet  made  it  imperative 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         167 

from  the  start  that  at  least  one  new  yacht  should 
be  built  to  meet  them;  and  even  if  they  had 
been   more  nearly  of  the  length  of   Grade  and 


Genesta. 


Fanny,  it  is  hardly  probable  that  the  old  sloops 
would  have  been  relied  on  after  the  increasing 
victories  of  Bedouin,  Wenonah,  and  the  smaller 
cutters.     James   Gordon    Bennett,  then  commo- 


1 68  American  Yachting 

dore,  with  William  P.  Douglas,  the  vice  commo- 
dore, determined  to  build  a  yacht  to  defend  the 
Cup,  and  the  question  of  type  again  came  up. 

The  opinions  on  the  part  of  those  immediately 
concerned  and  of  the  yachting  public  as  well, 
varied  by  shades  between  two  widely  different  ex- 
tremes. The  old  centre-board  sloop  of  the  Arrow 
type  still  had  its  defenders  who  would  build 
another  Maria  ;  others,  less  extreme,  favored  the 
"compromise  sloop,"  of  more  modern  form  but 
still  wide  and  shoal,  with  inside  ballast,  no  outside 
keel,  and  sloop  rig.  Another  party  advocated 
the  "compromise  cutter,"  retaining  much  of  the 
breadth  and  initial  stability  of  the  sloop  with 
added  depth  of  hull  and  a  fixed  keel  of  lead; 
some  favoring  a  centre-board  in  addition,  while 
others  advocated  a  keel  boat.  Finally  there  were 
some  who  would  meet  the  British  cutters  with 
American  yachts  of  nearly  the  same  type  except 
for  added  breadth  —  enlarged  Bedouins  and  We- 
nonaks. 

The  building  of  the  Bennett-Douglas  yacht 
was  intrusted  to  the  Cup  committee,  including 
Messrs.  Philip  Schuyler,  J.  F.  Tams,  C.  H.  Steb- 
bins,  Jules  A.  Montant,  and  Joseph  R.  Busk,  this 
committee  being  also  charged  with  the  negotia- 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         169 

tions  and  all  detail  connected  with  the  actual 
sailing  of  the  races.  The  question  of  type  was 
settled  by  the  choice  of  the  "  compromise  sloop," 
and  it  was  determined  to  build  a  bigger  Mischief, 
the  design  of  course  being  intrusted  to  Mr.  Gary 
Smith.  The  dimensions  finally  determined  on 
were:  length  over  all,  94  feet;  load  water-line, 
85  feet;  breadth,  22  feet  6  inches;  depth,  8  feet 
7  inches ;  draft,  7  feet  9  inches.  As  in  Mischief, 
there  was  very  little  outside  keel,  a  large  centre- 
board being  relied  on  for  lateral  resistance.  The 
hull  was  of  steel,  with  lead  ballast  stowed  inside ; 
the  stem  was  plumb,  with  a  short  counter  aft ;  and 
the  rig,  in  spite  of  the  jib  and  fore  staysail  which 
replaced  the  typical  single  jib  of  the  old  sloop, 
was  otherwise  patterned  after  the  sloop,  with  a 
comparatively  short  base  and  great  height. 

Following  quickly  on  the  announcement  of 
this  official  attempt  came  the  news  of  a  second 
yacht,  building  in  Boston  for  a  syndicate  of 
eastern  yachtsmen,  headed  by  General  Gharles 
J.  Paine  and  J.  Malcolm  Forbes,  the  designer 
being  Edward  Burgess.  Though  long  known  in 
eastern  yachting,  Mr.  Burgess  was  at  this  time 
unknown  elsewhere,  having  been  in  business  for 
less  than  two  years.     Born  in  1848,  at  Sandwich, 


170 


American  Yachting 


on  Cape  Cod,  one  of  several  sons  of  Benjamin  F. 
Burgess,  a  wealthy  ship-owner  and  merchant  of 


Puritan. 


Boston,  he  spent  his  youth  largely  on  the  water 
and  among  yachtsmen.    With  his  brothers,  Sidney 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         171 

W.  and  Walter,  he  owned  cat-boats  as  a  boy,  and 
in  1868  he  had  built  by  J.  B.  Herreshoff  the 
centre-board  sloop  Nimbus,  of  33  feet  water-line, 
in  which  he  cruised  and  raced  for  some  years. 
With  his  love  for  yachting  was  a  strong  taste  for 
natural  history,  and  on  graduating  from  Harvard 
in  1 87 1  he  devoted  himself  specially  to  entomol- 
ogy, being  for  a  time  an  instructor  at  Harvard 
and  afterward,  for  fifteen  years,  secretary  of  the 
Boston  Society  of  Natural  History.  As  a  member 
of  the  Eastern,  the  Beverly,  and  the  Dorchester 
yacht  clubs  and  of  the  Somerset  Club  of  Boston, 
and  through  his  Harvard  connections,  he  was 
closely  associated  with  the  leading  yachtsmen  of 
Massachusetts  Bay  and  familiar  with  small  and 
large  yachts.  He  married  in  1877  and  continued 
his  studious  life;  in  1883  he  spent  the  summer 
on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  through  his  yachting 
experience  abroad  he  became  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  cutter  type.  His  predilections  were 
always  toward  the  stanch  and  able  yacht  and 
deep-water  sailing,  and  though  never  associated 
with  the  New  York  "cutter  cranks,"  he  was  a 
believer  in  the  cutter  and  on  the  cutter  side  of 
the  controversy. 

Owing  to  business  reverses  which  befell  his 


172  American  Yachting 

father,  in  1884,  he,  in  connection  with  his  brother 
Sidney,  established  the  Eastern  Yacht  Agency 
in  Boston,  for  the  designing  and  selHng  of  yachts. 
His  knowledge  of  designing  up  to  this  time  was 
only  that  of  the  educated  and  intelligent  amateur, 
and  his  first  work  was  in  the  superintendence  of 
yachts  built  from  designs  by  Watson,  Dixon 
Kemp,  and  other  British  designers  for  Boston 
owners.  He  had  built  in  1881  the  keel  sloop 
Moya,  32  feet  over  all,  27  feet  6  inches  water-line, 
9  feet  breadth,  and  5  feet  draft,  and  two  years 
later  he  designed  the  keel  sloop  Columbifie, 
25  feet  over  all,  19  feet  water-line,  7  feet  breadth, 
and  4  feet  4  inches  draft,  for  his  own  use. 
Prior  to  the  planning  of  the  new  Cup  defender 
his  largest  yacht  was  the  cruising  cutter  Rondina, 
38  feet  over  all,  30  feet  6  inches  on  the  water-line, 
8  feet  in  breadth,  and  of  6  feet  9  inches  draft. 

The  syndicate  was  composed  of  the  following, 
all  yachtsmen  and  members  of  the  Eastern  Yacht 
Club  and  several  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  as 
well:  General  Charles  J.  Paine,  J.  Malcolm 
Forbes,  William  Gray,  Jr.,  Henry  S.  Hovey, 
William  F.  Weld,  Augustus  Hemenway,  W.  H. 
Forbes,  John  L.  Gardner,  J.  Montgomery  Sears, 
and  F.  L.  Higginson.     General  Paine,  one  of  the 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         173 

prominent  personalities  of  American  yachting, 
was  born  in  Boston  in  1833,  graduating  at  Har- 
vard twenty  years  later  and  preparing  for  the 
law,  though  not  engaging  in  active  practice.  He 
served  through  the  Civil  War,  and  after  its  close 
devoted  himself  to  the  management  of  a  fortune 
invested  partly  in  railroads  in  the  West.  He 
joined  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  in  1880, 
and  for  some  years  after  owned  the  schooner 
Halcyon,  racing  her  in  eastern  waters  and  with 
the  club  fleet  about  Newport  and  Vineyard 
Sound.  With  no  pretence  to  a  knowledge  of 
designing  or  naval  architecture,  he  was  a  keen 
yachtsman  and  personally  interested  in  develop- 
ing all  the  speed  of  which  his  yacht  was  capable, 
as  shown  in  the  career  of  Halcyon  under  his 
ownership. 

J.  Malcolm  Forbes,  one  of  the  Forbes  family 
so  long  famous  in  the  annals  of  Boston  shipping, 
had  spent  much  of  his  life  in  yachting  about 
Boston  and  Vineyard  Sound,  owning  many 
yachts;  in  1882  he  built  from  Dixon  Kemp's 
designs  the  cutter  Lapwing,  of  35  feet  water-line 
and  10  feet  breadth,  and  he  was  familiar  with  the 
keel  type.  W.  H.  Forbes,  of  the  same  family, 
owned  the  keel  sloop  Hesper,  designed  for  him 


174  American  Yachting 

by  Gary  Smith  in  1880,  of  45  feet  6  inches  water- 
line,  15  feet  5  inches  breadth,  and  5  feet  3  inches 
draft.  Henry  S.  Hovey,  of  Boston  and  Glouces- 
ter, was  a  cruising  yachtsman,  the  owner  of  the 
keel  schooner  Fortuna  already  mentioned.  Will- 
iam Gray,  Jr.,  was  a  clever  amateur  designer,  who, 
in  1883,  built  from  his  own  designs  the  keel  sloop 
Huron,  of  53  feet  6  inches  water-line,  15  feet 
9  inches  breadth,  and  8  feet  draft.  William  F. 
Weld,  a  member  of  another  family  famous  in 
shipping  and  yachting,  was  the  owner  of  the  keel 
schooner  Gita^ia,  of  92  feet  water-line,  designed 
and  built  for  him  by  D.  J.  Lawlor  at  East  Boston 
in  1882,  and  had  then  cruised  abroad  in  her. 
Augustus  Hemenway,  after  sailing  as  a  young 
man  in  the  Herreshoff  cat-boat  of  the  time, 
ordered,  in  1882,  the  keel  cutter  Beetle,  of  27  feet 
water-line  and  7  feet  breadth  and  draft,  from 
D.  J.  Lawlor.  J.  M.  Sears  was  also  one  of  a 
family  of  yachtsmen,  owning  many  yachts. 

Several  causes  led  to  the  formation  of  this  syn- 
dicate, a  patriotic  desire  to  aid  in  the  defence  of 
the  Cup,  a  similar  feeling  in  respect  to  the  due 
representation  of  the  Eastern  Yacht  Club  and  of 
Boston  in  an  international  event,  and  a  desire  to 
help   Mr.   Burgess,  a  personal  friend  of  all  the 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         175 

members.  Taken  in  all  its  aspects,  the  attempt 
was  a  bold  one.  On  the  one  hand  was  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club,  with  all  its  resources,  —  one 
yacht,  by  the  leading  designer,  being  already 
ordered  and  others  being  under  discussion.  On 
the  other  hand  were  the  two  invading  cutters, 
one  just  fresh  from  a  successful  season  of  racing 
and  the  other  presumably  an  improvement  on 
her.  In  spite  of  the  confidence  of  his  friends, 
the  ability  of  Mr.  Burgess  was  as  yet  untried,  and 
Boston  builders  had  of  necessity  confined  their 
practice  to  small  yachts.  To  design  and  build  a 
racing  yacht  of  much  greater  size  than  any 
single-sticker  then  afloat,  was  an  undertaking  of 
no  small  magnitude. 

In  the  first  step,  the  selection  of  the  type,  the 
eastern  syndicate  was  at  an  advantage  as  com- 
pared with  the  New  York  Yacht  Club.  The  latter 
was  in  a  measure  committed  to  the  centre-board 
sloop,  and  under  existing  conditions  a  radical 
departure  in  design  was  not  to  be  expected.  The 
Boston  men,  however,  were  accustomed  to  keel 
craft,  Mr.  Burgess  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
modern  cutter,  and  with  much  at  stake,  a  defeat 
in  an  entirely  new  line  of  experiment  could  be  no 
more  serious  than  if  the  old  conventional  lines 


176 


American  Yachting 


were  followed.  The  actual  management  of  the 
affairs  of  the  syndicate  was  intrusted  to  General 
Paine,  Mr.  J.  Malcolm  Forbes,  and  Mr.  Gray,  with 
Mr.  Burgess,  and  after  consideration  they  deter- 
mined to  discard  all  tradition  and  conventional 
usage,  and  to  design  such  a  yacht  as  seemed  best 
suited  in  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  day 
to  meet  the  immediate  end  in  view.     The  type 


Puritan. 


selected   was   the   "compromise   cutter"   with  a 
centre-board  and  lead  keel. 

Puritan,  as  she  was  christened  on  her  launch- 
ing. May  26,  1885,  was  94  feet  over  all,  81  feet 
\\  inches  on  the  water-line  as  finally  measured, 
22  feet  7  inches  in  breadth,  and  8  feet  8  inches  in 
draft  to  bottom  of  keel,  her  centre-board  increas- 
ing the  draft  to  about  20  feet.  The  sheer  plan 
was  that  of  the  cutter,  with  plumb  stem,  circular 
sheer,  and  fairly  high  freeboard  and  bulwarks,  and 


Burgess  and  tbe  America  Cup         177 

the  cutter  counter  of  the  day.  Her  breadth  was 
taken  from  the  sloop,  though  moderate,  and  her 
depth  and  draft  were  considerably  greater  than 
the  old  sloops'  but  less  than  the  cutters'.  Outside 
of  the  hull  proper  there  was  a  clearly  defined  keel 
some  two  feet  deep,  containing  forty-eight  tons 
of  lead,  —  the  slot  for  the  centre-board  being  cut 
through  this  keel.  The  greatest  draft  was  at  the 
stern-post,  which  had  more  rake  than  the  old  sloop 
but  much  less  than  the  deep  cutters.  The  keel 
rounded  up  gradually,  being  well  cut  away  at  the 
forefoot.  The  section  was  of  S  form,  with  a  dis- 
tinct bilge  and  a  strong  hollow  to  the  floor  about 
the  garboards;  it  had  nothing  in  common  with 
the  cutter  of  the  day,  but  was  more  like  such 
British  yachts  as  Florinda  and  Rose  of  Devon, 
built  about  1870.  It  is  probable  that,  as  being 
nearest  in  size  to  the  new  boat,  the  schooner 
Halcyon  was  drawn  upon  for  such  data  as  she 
could  be  made  to  furnish;  but  there  is  little  in 
common  between  her  model  and  that  of  Puritan, 
The  rig  was  a  compromise  throughout;  while 
the  bowsprit  was  not  fitted  to  house  in  bad 
weather,  and  the  mainsail  was  laced  along  its 
foot  to  the  boom,  —  two  features  directly  at  vari- 
ance with  cutter  practice,  —  the  sail    plan   was 


178  American  YacJoting 

lower  and  longer  on  the  foot  than  in  the  sloops, 
the  gaff  was  longer  and  the  hoist  shorter,  there 
was  a  long  topmast  and  a  very  large  club  top- 
sail, and  the  head-sails  were  divided  into  jib 
and  staysail.  In  mechanical  details  the  cutter 
was  followed  very  closely. 

The  hull  was  of  wood,  built  by  G.  Lawley  & 
Son,  at  South  Boston,  there  being  no  special 
attempt  at  lightness  but  the  general  construc- 
tion being  much  more  thorough  than  in  the 
average  sloop.  The  sails  were  made  in  Boston, 
by  J.  H.  McManus  &  Son.  The  sail  area  as 
measured  by  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  rule 
was  7982  square  feet. 

The  news  of  a  Boston  aspirant  was  received 
with  something  of  scorn  by  New  York  yachts- 
men, as  reflected  in  some  contemptuous  utter- 
ances in  the  New  York  press  about  "brick 
sloops"  and  "bean  boats"  that  might  better 
stay  east  of  Cape  Cod;  but  in  her  maiden  race, 
the  Eastern  Yacht  Club  regatta  on  June  30, 
she  easily  led  the  fleet,  of  which  the  America 
was  the  last,  beating  the  latter  by  about  an 
hour.  The  preliminary  trials  of  the  New  York 
representative,  Priscilla,  were  less  promising, 
but  still   it  was   confidently   expected    that   she 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         179 

would  make  quick  work  of  Puritan  in  their 
first  meeting  on  the  New  York  Yacht  Club 
cruise,  as  well  as  in  the  trial  races  planned  to 
follow.  So  far  from  this  being  the  case,  the 
first  meeting  of  the  two  —  off  Newport  on  Au- 
gust 3,  the  Goelet  cup  race  sailed  in  a  fresh 
southeast  breeze  —  resulted  in  a  decisive  victory 
for  Puritan^  by  over  ten  minutes,  corrected 
time. 

After  the  cruise,  on  which  Puritan  won  two 
more  races  to  one  of  Priscillas,  they  returned 
to  New  York,  and  the  latter  had  her  mast  un- 
shipped and  shortened  five  feet,  with  other 
alterations. 

The  trial  races  were  sailed  in  the  latter  part 
of  August,  the  70-footers  Bedouin  and  Grade 
entering  with  Puritan  and  Priscilla,  The  re- 
sults of  three  separate  races  showed  Puritan 
to  be  decidedly  faster  than  Priscilla,  while  both 
were  from  a  quarter  to  a  half  hour  faster  than 
the  old  sloop  and  cutter. 

Early  in  the  season  it  was  announced  that 
Galatea  would  be  unable  to  cross  before  the 
following  year,  but  on  July  16  Genesta  arrived 
at  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  twenty-four  days, 
sailing  alone  under  jury  rig  with  no  convoying 


i8o  American  Yachting 

steamer.  Her  owner,  Sir  Richard  Sutton,  was 
a  young  English  yachtsman  who  in  1882  in- 
herited the  schooner  Elmina,  335  tons,  from  his 
father,  Sir  Frederick  Sutton,  and  in  1884  built 
and  raced  Genesta,  As  was  proved  in  the 
course  of  his  visit,  he  was  a  thorough  sportsman 
and  a  keen  yachtsman,  but  with  little  racing 
experience  the  responsibility  for  the  successful 
issue  of  the  races  devolved  on  the  skipper  and 
designer. 

The  first  race  was  set  for  September  7,  1885, 
but  there  was  no  wind;  the  second  race  was 
started  on  the  following  day  off  the  Sandy 
Hook  light-ship  in  a  very  light  wind.  The 
course  was  twenty  miles  to  windward,  and  as 
Genesta  came  for  the  line  on  starboard  tack 
she  was  fouled  by  Puritan  on  port  tack,  the 
bowsprit  of  the  challenger  being  carried  away 
short  at  the  gammon  iron.  The  regatta  com- 
mittee, Messrs.  Tams,  Stebbins,  and  Montant,  at 
once  disqualified  Puritan  and  gave  Genesta  the 
option  of  starting  and  of  being  awarded  one 
leg  for  the  cup,  provided  she  finished  within 
the  time  limit  of  seven  hours  for  the  40-mile 
course.  Sir  Richard  Sutton  very  promptly 
declared   that   he   had   come   here   to  sail  races 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         i8i 

and  not  to  take  them  by  default,  and  that  he 
would  prefer  to  make  repairs  and  start  anew 
at  a  later  date.  The  Puritan  party  made  all 
possible  apologies  to  the  club  and  to  Sir  Rich- 
ard for  what  was  purely  an  accident,  though 
under  the  conditions  almost  an  inexcusable  one, 
and  the  incident  closed  with  no  ill  feeling. 

After  two  postponements  for  lack  of  wind 
the  first  race  was  sailed,  over  the  inside  course, 
on  September  14  in  a  light  breeze,  Puritan 
winning  by  over  sixteen  minutes,  corrected  time. 
The  second  race  followed  two  days  later,  the 
course  being  twenty  miles  to  leeward  and  return 
from  the  Scotland  light-ship.  The  start  was 
made  before  a  light  breeze  that  freshened  on 
the  run  out  from  northwest;  crossing  in  the 
lead,  Genesta  gained  i  minute  21  seconds  on 
the  run.  Shortly  after  they  turned  the  outer 
mark  the  wind  freshened  to  about  thirty  miles. 
Puritan  housed  her  topmast,  but  Captain  Carter, 
with  a  poor  judgment  in  marked  contrast  to  his 
other  work  in  this  country,  persisted  in  carry- 
ing his  topmast  on  end  and  a  jib-headed  top- 
sail set,  though  the  sail  was  not  drawing  and 
the  yacht  would  have  gone  faster  with  topmast 
housed.     After   one  of   the  most  exciting  fights 


1 82  American  Yacbting 

and  closest  finishes  ever  seen  in  a  Cup  race, 
Puritan  won  by  i  minute  38  seconds,  corrected 
time.  No  small  amount  of  the  credit  for  Puri- 
tans good  work  through  the  season  was  due 
to  her  skipper.  Captain  Aubrey  Crocker,  of  Cape 
Cod,  for  many  years  skipper  of  Shadow, 

The  challenge  of  Galatea  was  postponed  until 
1886,  in  the  meanwhile  two  more  yachts  being 
built  to  meet  her.  The  Boston  yachtsmen,  very 
properly  elated  by  their  victory,  did  not  pro- 
pose to  lose  their  laurels  at  once,  and  Mr.  Bur- 
gess was  commissioned  by  General  Paine  to 
design  for  him  as  sole  owner  an  enlarged  and 
improved  Puritan  —  Mayflower  by  name.  She 
was  built  by  Lawley  &  Son  during  the  winter, 
of  the  same  general  construction  as  Puritan, 
While  following  the  latter's  model,  she  was 
larger  throughout,  her  over-all  length  being 
100  feet,  water-line  85  feet  6  inches,  breadth 
23  feet  6  inches,  draft  9  feet  10  inches.  Her 
lead  keel  weighed  37  tons,  with  1 1  tons  stowed 
inside,  and  her  draft  with  board  down  was  over 
20  feet. 

New  York  was  also  in  the  field  with  a  new 
yacht,  Atlantic,  modelled  by  Philip  Ellsworth 
and  built  by  John    Mumm,  at   South  Brooklyn, 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         183 

for  a  syndicate  composed  of  members  of  the 
Atlantic  Yacht  Club.  In  the  previous  year 
there  had  been  more  or  less  rambling  discussion 
as  to  the  possibilities  of  the  schooner  Grayling 
if  rigged  as  a  sloop,  with  some  talk  of  a  new 
Ellsworth  model  to  meet  Priscilla  and  Puritan, 
but  nothing  came  of  either  plan.  As  the  whole 
interest  in  yachting  was  now  centred  in  the 
"big  sloops,"  as  they  were  called,  the  plan  of 
an  Ellsworth  boat  was  revived  and  put  into 
execution. 

Had  the  original  plan  been  carried  out  in 
1885,  it  is  probable  that  the  yacht  would  have 
been  like  Grayling  wide  and  shoal,  with  all 
inside  ballast  and  the  old  sloop  rig ;  the  success 
of  Puritan,  however,  had  already  worked  such 
a  change  of  ideas  among  all  classes  of  yachts- 
men that  the  lead  keel  was  considered  indis-  ' 
pensable.  Atlantic  was  a  comparatively  deep 
yacht,  drawing  9  feet  3  inches  on  a  water-line 
of  83  feet,  and  with  33  tons  of  outside  lead  and 
a  mixed  rig,  part  sloop  and  part  cutter.  As  a 
combination  of  old  and  new  ideas  she  was  not 
successful,  and  after  a  brief  career  as  a  sloop 
she  was  converted  to  a  schooner  and  used  many 
years  for  cruising. 


1 84  American  Yachting 

Mayflower,  in  her  early  trials,  was  less  success- 
ful than  Puritan,  showing  a  lack  of  stability,  but 
this  was  partly  remedied  by  transferring  some 
of  her  inside  ballast  to  the  keel.  Priscilla,  under 
the  ownership  of  Commodore  A.  Cass  Canfield, 
of  the  Seawanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht  Club,  was 
altered  and  raced  with  the  other  three  through 
the  season,  finishing  with  two  trial  races  in 
August.  These  were  both  won  by  Mayflower, 
and  she  was  selected  to  defend  the  Cup. 

The  challenger,  Galatea,  was  owned  by  Lieu- 
tenant William  Henn,  R.N.,  a  native  of  Dublin, 
who  entered  the  Royal  Navy  as  a  boy  of  thirteen 
in  i860,  serving  until  1875,  when  he  was  retired 
at  his  own  request,  devoting  his  time  mainly  to 
yachting.  Mrs.  Henn,  who  prior  to  her  marriage 
did  a  great  deal  of  yachting  with  her  brother, 
accompanied  him  in  all  his  cruises,  and  their 
yawl  Gertrude  was  for  years  their  home,  either 
in  the  Mediterranean  or  British  waters.  While 
Galatea  was  designed  and  built  especially  for  the 
challenge  for  the  America  Cup,  and  was  in  type 
and  dimensions  the  racing  cutter  of  the  period, 
she  was  fitted  in  every  way  as  the  permanent 
home  of  her  owners.  Her  skipper,  Dan  Bradford, 
had  been  in  charge  of  the  old  Gertrude,  and  was 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         185 

more  of  a  cruising  than  a  racing  man,  though  a 
good  yacht  sailor.  The  voyage  across  the  Atlan- 
tic was  treated  as  a  pleasure  cruise,  Lieutenant 
Henn  and  his  wife  being  on  board  and  taking 
a  full  month  for  the  trip.  The  yacht  was  under 
jury  rig,  with  short  bowsprit,  topmast,  and  boom, 
but  carried  her  racing  mast. 

The  first  race  was  sailed  on  September 
7,  over  the  inside  course,  and  in  very  light 
weather,  resulting  in  an  easy  victory  for  May- 
flower^ by  twelve  minutes.  A  second  trial  two 
days  later  failed  for  lack  of  wind,  and  the  second 
and  last  race  was  sailed  on  September  11,  partly 
a  drifting  match  in  a  very  light  breeze,  Mayflower 
winning  by  half  an  hour. 

Though  Galatea  was  outclassed  by  Mayflower 
in  all  weathers,  the  races  were  most  unsatisfac- 
tory, the  weather  greatly  favoring  the  home  boat. 
Lieutenant  Henn  issued  a  challenge  to  all  Ameri- 
can yachts  to  race  around  the  Bermudas  and 
back,  which  of  course  was  not  accepted,  and  later 
he  made  a  private  match  with  General  Paine, 
between  Galatea  and  Mayflower,  to  be  sailed  off 
Marblehead  in  a  breeze ;  but  after  waiting  for  ten 
days  without  wind,  the  latter  laid  up  and  the 
match  was  never  sailed.     In  the  following  spring 


1 86  American  Yachting 

he  visited  Marblehead  and  started  Galatea  against 
Mayflower  in  the  annual  regatta  of  the  Eastern 
Yacht  Club,  sailed  in  a  strong  breeze,  and  on 
being  badly  beaten  was  perfectly  satisfied,  hav- 
ing had  the  trial  which  he  wished  in  Galatea  s 
weather.  As  a  sportsman  and  yachtsman  he 
made  many  friends  in  this  country,  and  his  death 
a  few  years  later  was  widely  regretted. 

The  building  of  Purita7i  marks  the  end  of  a 
very  important  era  in  American  yachting,  begun 
some  half-dozen  years  before  by  the  introduction 
of  the  British  cutter.  Her  advent  marked  the 
passing  of  the  old  centre-board  sloop  and  of  the 
rule-o '-thumb  modeller,  and  the  general  recogni- 
tion of  a  new  type,  far  abler,  safer,  and  faster 
than  the  old,  and  of  the  professional  yacht 
designer.  From  a  technical  standpoint  she  em- 
bodied nothing  more  than  such  a  compromise 
model  as  Valkyr,  but  the  magnitude  of  her  vic- 
tory over  such  a  yacht  as  Geiiesta  in  an  inter- 
national contest  served  of  itself  to  make  the 
type  prominent  and  popular.  As  an  amateur 
and  a  newcomer,  winning  from  experienced 
professionals,  Mr.  Burgess  became  instantly  fa- 
mous from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other ; 
his  fame  extending  far  outside  the  domain  of 
yachting. 


Burgess  and  the  America  Cup         187 

Year  by  year  from  the  time  of  the  Madge  races 
it  became  more  and  more  evident  that  the  old 
centre-board  sloop  was  hopelessly  wrong  in  pro- 
portions, model,  construction,  ballasting,  and  rig ; 
but,  in  spite  of  this,  the  majority  of  American 
yachtsmen  were  still  unwilling  to  admit  that 
British  ideas  were  right.  After  her  final  vic- 
tory over  Genesta,  Puritan  was  proclaimed  to 
be  not  British,  but  Boston,  —  the  perfect  embodi- 
ment of  purely  American  ideas.  History  was 
ransacked  to  prove  that  depth  of  hull,  outside 
keel,  and  outside  ballast  were  all  American  insti- 
tutions from  the  days  of  Gimcrack  and  America, 
The  result  of  this  curious  change  of  course  was 
most  beneficial  in  the  immediate  demand  for  a 
vastly  better  type  of  yacht. 

The  effect  on  British  yachting  was  no  less 
powerful  and  beneficial.  The  defeat  of  Genesta,  fol- 
lowed by  that  of  Galatea,  led  to  the  abolition  of  the 
tonnage  rule  which  had  hampered  yacht  design- 
ing from  its  infancy,  and  the  enactment  of  a  rule 
based  on  length  of  water-line  and  sail  area,  to  take 
effect  in  1887  and  to  run  for  at  least  seven  years. 
With  the  tax  on  breadth  and  the  false  measure- 
ment of  depth  abolished,  British  yachting  entered 
on  a  period  of  activity  and  prosperity. 


CHAPTER   XII 

THISTLE  AND   THE    "NEW    DEED    OF   GIFT " 

Closely  following  on  the  defeat  of  Galatea, 
the  Royal  Clyde  Yacht  Club  of  Glasgow  held  a 
meeting  and  decided  to  challenge  for  the  Cup. 
Under  the  terms  of  the  Second  Deed  of  Gift  no 
challenger  was  permitted  to  give  more  than  seven 
months'  notice,  but  as  this  was  to  the  serious 
disadvantage  of  both  sides,  the  matter  was  ap- 
proached in  a  plain  and  sensible  manner  by  a 
letter  from  William  York,  secretary  of  the  Royal 
Clyde  Yacht  Club,  to  John  H.  Bird,  secretary  of 
the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  stating  that  the 
former  club  desired  to  arrange  a  match  for  the 
Cup,  to  be  sailed  in  September,  1887;  but  that  as 
it  was  prevented  from  issuing  a  formal  challenge 
more  than  seven  months  in  advance  of  the  date 
of  the  first  race,  it  was  desirous  of  making  all 
arrangements  in  the  meanwhile,  and  of  forward- 
ing the  formal  challenge  in  proper  season.  The 
letter  also  stated  that  the  challenging  club  would 
build  a  yacht,  of  about  the  size  of  Mayflower,  if 

188 


Thistle  and  the  ''New  Deed  of  Gift'*    189 

the  New  York  Yacht  Club  preferred  to  race  that 
yacht,  but  suggesting  that  a  smaller  class,  of  65 
to  75  feet  water-line,  would  be  as  satisfactory  for 
racing  and  less  costly. 

The  whole  tenor  of  this  letter  was  in  perfect 
accord  with  the  spirit  and  letter  of  the  original 
Deed  of  Gift,  inviting  a  "  mutual  agreement"  for  a 
"  friendly  competition."  That  it  was  not  in  accord 
with  one  of  the  provisions  of  the  second  deed 
was  solely  because  that  peculiar  document  posi- 
tively prohibited  a  challenger  from  giving  such 
ample  notice  as  could  only  be  to  the  manifest 
advantage  of  the  defender  in  giving  ample  time 
for  building.  This  letter  was  acknowledged  with 
the  most  scant  courtesy;  and  when  laid  before  the 
New  York  Yacht  Club  a  resolution  was  passed 
to  send  to  the  Royal  Clyde  Yacht  Club  a  copy 
of  the  second  deed,  with  a  notice  that  when  a 
challenge  came  "  in  proper  form,"  it  would  receive 
due  consideration.  In  spite  of  this  frigid  recep- 
tion the  club  persisted  in  its  determination  to 
challenge,  and  further  efforts  were  made  to  come 
to  an  agreement  as  to  the  general  size  of  the  com- 
peting yachts,  in  order  that  neither  party  might 
outbuild  the  other.  All  efforts  in  this  direction 
failed,  the  response  being  as  before,  that  when  a 


I90  American  Yachting 

challenge  in  due  form  was  received,  it  would  be 
acted  on.  Under  these  circumstances  the  chal- 
lengers determined  to  adhere  to  the  letter  of  the 
existing  deed,  and  further,  to  keep  to  themselves 
all  particulars  of  their  yacht  until  compelled  to 
disclose  them.     - 

The  order  for  the  design  was  placed  with  George 
L.  Watson,  a  member  of  the  club  and  the  designer 


Thistle. 


of  Madge  and  Marjorie,  whose  services  were 
given  freely  to  the  syndicate,  the  builders  being 
D.  and  W.  Henderson  of  Glasgow.  The  first 
preparation  for  the  work  was  the  building  of  a 
tightly  enclosed  shed,  with  locked  doors,  to  which 
no  one  was  admitted  but  the  designer  and  those 
immediately  connected  with  the  construction  of 
the  yacht.  Here  was  built  during  the  winter  of 
1886-1887  the  widest  cutter  seen  for  many  years 
in   British  waters,  her  breadth  being  20  feet  4 


Thistle  and  the  ''New  Deed  of  Gift''    191 

inches  on  a  water-Une  of  85  feet,  as  originally 
designed.  With  a  clipper  bow  in  place  of  the 
plumb  stem  of  the  older  cutters,  her  over-all  length 
was  108  feet  6  inches.  Although  a  keel  boat, 
with  no  centre-board,  her  draft  was  but  13  feet, 
and  added  to  this  her  forefoot  was  well  cut  away 
and  the  bottom  of  her  keel  rounded  off  to  give  a 
minimum  of  wetted  surface  for  work  in  light 
weather.  While  such  a  yacht  as  Genesta,  with 
a  deep  forefoot  giving  a  great  area  of  lateral  plane, 
and  a  flat  wall  side,  had  something  to  hold  her 
in  windward  work,  there  was  nothing  about  the 
new  boat  to  prevent  her  from  sliding  to  leeward. 
The  fact  seems  to  be  that,  as  in  the  narrow  cutters, 
it  was  necessary  to  carry  the  ballast  in  a  very 
long  lead  keel,  in  order  to  obtain  power  to  carry 
sail.  This  length  of  keel  and  flat  side  relieved  the 
designer  from  any  serious  consideration  of  the 
question  of  lateral  resistance.  When  the  added 
breadth  made  it  possible  to  cut  up  the  keel  and 
at  the  same  time  gave  a  round  instead  of  a  flat 
side,  some  addition  to  the  area  of  lateral  plane 
was  necessary;  but  in  the  many  considerations 
involved  in  the  production  of  a  new  type  for  a 
special  and  important  purpose  the  designer  over- 
looked this,  just  as  happened  years  later  in  the 
case  of  Colonia, 


192 


American  Yachting 


The  new  yacht,  Thistle,  was  launched  on 
April  26,  the  secret  of  her  dimensions  being  well 
kept,  in  spite  of  many  attempts  to  fathom  it, 
until  it  was  in  part  disclosed  by  the  formal 
challenge,  sent  to  New  York  in  March.  Long 
before  this  General  Paine  had  announced  his 
readiness  to  defend  the  Cup  with  a  new  Burgess 


Volunteer. 

yacht,  and  the  matter  by  general  consent  had 
been  left  to  him  as  the  best  fitted  for  the  work. 
The  making  of  the  design  was  postponed  until 
the  arrival  of  the  challenge,  in  which  the  water- 
line  of  Thistle  was  given  as  85  feet,  when  a 
length  of  85  feet  10  inches  was  decided  on  as 
the  water-line  of  the  new  defender.  She  also  was 
given  a  clipper  bow,  making  her  over-all  length 
106  feet  3  inches;  her  breadth  was  23  feet  2 
inches  and  draft  10  feet,  exclusive  of  the  centre- 
board, which  drew  about  21  feet.     The  hull  was 


Thistle  and  the  "New  Deed  of  Gift''    193 

of  steel,  built  by  the  Pusey  &  Jones  Company, 
at  Wilmington,  Delaware ;  and  as  the  work  was 
necessarily  hurried,  the  plating  was  rough  in 
appearance,  especially  when  compared  side  by 
side  with  the  perfect  workmanship  of  Thistle, 
The  general  form  was  a  development  from 
Puritan  and  Mayflower,  narrower,  deeper,  of 
greater  displacement  (130  tons)  and  with  55  tons 
of  lead  in  the  trough  keel;  the  sail  area  being 
9271  square  feet,  or  3000  square  feet  in  excess  of 
Thistle,  Unlike  the  two  older  boats,  her  bowsprit 
was  fitted  to  house,  as  in  the  English  cutters,  for 
bad  weather. 

In  spite  of  the  reason  for  it,  the  secrecy  attend- 
ing the  building  of  Thistle  gave  rise  to  much  ill- 
feehng  in  America,  and  this  was  greatly  increased 
when,  upon  measurement  prior  to  the  first  race, 
her  load  water-line  proved  to  be  86.40  feet,  or 
some  seventeen  inches  in  excess  of  that  given  in 
the  challenge.  There  was  no  evidence  that,  like 
many  American  yachts,  she  had  not  gone  below 
her  designed  lines  through  an  error  on  the  part 
of  her  designer,  —  a  matter  of  such  common  oc- 
currence as  to  call  for  the  frequent  enactment  or 
extension  of  exemption  clauses  in  the  rules  of  all 
yacht  clubs  to  admit  to  fixed  classes  yachts  whose 


194  American  Yachting 

actual  dimensions  exceeded  those  of  their  designs. 
As  she  paid  for  the  excess  in  the  time  allowance, 
no  injustice  was  done  to  the  defending  boat,  but 
for  a  time  there  was  a  prospect  of  a  break  in  all 
relations.  This  was  finally  averted  and  the  races 
sailed,  one  over  the  club  course  and  one  outside. 

Volunteer  was  sailed  by  Captain  "  Hank  "  Haff, 
one  of  the  best  of  American  skippers,  while 
Thistle  was  sailed  by  Captain  John  Barr,  a  Scotch 
skipper  already  well  known  here  through  his  suc- 
cessful handling  of  the  cutter  Clara,  The  inside 
course  was  sailed  in  a  light  breeze,  Volunteer 
winning  by  nearly  twenty  minutes.  The  second 
race  was  sailed  over  a  20-mile  course  to  wind- 
ward from  the  Scotland  light-ship,  in  a  strong 
breeze  and  sea.  Volunteer  leading  by  nearly  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  at  the  weather  mark,  but 
losing  three  minutes  to  Thistle  on  the  run  in. 

When  the  Royal  Clyde  party  reached  New 
York  at  the  end  of  the  last  race,  a  note  was  sent 
by  messenger  to  the  New  York  Yacht  Club 
stating  that  a  new  challenge  would  be  issued  as 
soon  as  it  could  be  formally  done,  the  challenging 
yacht  to  be  of  70  feet  water-line.  Three  days 
after  this,  at  a  special  meeting  of  the  club  held  to 
arrange  for  a  testimonial  to  General  Paine  and 


Thistle  and  the  ''New  Deed  of  Gift''    195 

other  similar  matters,  a  motion  was  introduced  to 
the  effect  that  a  special  committee  of  the  club  be 
appointed  with  power  to  return  the  America  Cup 
to  Mr.  Schuyler  and  to  receive  it  from  him  upon 
new  conditions.  This  was  done,  an  entirely  new 
deed  of  gift  being  drawn  up  by  the  committee  and 
accepted  by  it  on  behalf  of  the  club.  When 
finally  submitted  to  the  club  at  a  meeting  on 
October  27,  the  chairman  was  obliged  to  decide 
(upon  the  objecti:on  of  C.  Smith  Lee)  that  the 
club  as  a  body  could  not  vote  on  the  question, 
the  special  committee,  by  virtue  of  the  power 
intrusted  to  it,  having  already  finally  accepted 
for  the  club  what  has  since  been  known  as  the 
"  New  Deed  of  Gift'* 

One  of  many  peculiar  features  of  this  document 
is  its  quasi-legal  form  and  great  length,  as  com- 
pared with  the  brief  and  simple  paper  in  which 
the  original  donors  of  the  Cup  recorded  their 
intentions  as  to  its  future.  On  account  of  this 
length  it  is  desirable  to  summarize  the  leading 
points,  the  principal  one  being  that  in  order  to 
obtain  a  match  a  challenging  club  must  give 
ten  months'  notice,  including  the  length  on  the 
water-line,  the  breadth  at  the  water-line  and  the 
extreme  breadth,  and  the  draft  of   water.      The 


196  American  Yachting 

competing  vessels  were  limited  to  not  less  than 
65  feet  nor  more  than  90  feet  on  the  water-line 
for  single-stick  vessels,  the  corresponding  limits 
for  schooners  being  80  feet  and  1 1 5  feet.  It  was 
provided  that  no  restrictions  should  be  placed 
upon  centre-boards,  nor  should  they  be  considered 
a  part  of  the  vessel  for  purposes  of  measurement. 
The  number  of  races  which  a  challenger  might 
demand  by  right  was  named  as  three,  all  to  be 
sailed  over  ocean  courses  with  at  least  twenty-two 
feet  depth  of  water.  Upon  the  publication  of  this 
document  the  Royal  Clyde  challenge  was  formally 
withdrawn  and  the  leading  British  clubs  joined 
with  yachtsmen,  both  foreign  and  American,  in 
denouncing  the  unfair  conditions  imposed  on  all 
future  challengers. 

From  a  practical  standpoint  the  demand  for 
dimensions  was  an  impossibility.  The  designer 
of  a  challenger  would  be  compelled  to  complete 
his  design  in  all  its  minute  details  almost  a 
year  in  advance  of  the  first  race  in  order  to 
place  the  principal  dimensions  in  the  hands  of 
the  New  York  Yacht  Club  ten  months  in  ad- 
vance. After  these  dimensions  were  thus  on 
record  he  could  in  no  way  depart  from  them, 
either  in   lengthening   or  shortening   the  water- 


Thistle  and  the  ''New  Deed  of  Gift''    197 

line  to  obtain  the  best  trim,  or  in  adding  ballast 
to  the  keel,  as  was  done  in  the  case  of  May- 
flower, Meanwhile,  with  the  challenger  thus 
hampered  in  every  way,  the  defender  had  ten 
months  in  which  to  study  his  dimensions  with 
a  view  to  outbuilding.  This  ended,  as  foretold 
at  the  time,  all  further  racing  for  the  Cup.  In 
1888  the  club  in  part  receded  from  its  original 
position  in  offering  to  accept  a  challenge  upon 
the  same  conditions  as  those  governing  the 
matches  of  1885  and  1886,  provided  the  "new 
deed"  were  recognized  as  legal;  but  no  foreign 
club  came  forward  to  accept  the  offer. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

CLARA,   MINERVA,   AND   THE    FORTY-FOOT    CLASS 

Just  at  the  time  in  August,  1885,  when  the 
yachting  world  of  New  York  and  Boston  was 
on  the  qui  vive  over  the  first  meeting  of  Puri- 
tan and  Priscilla  at  Newport,  there  sailed  into 
New  York  late  one  night  a  little  cutter,  thirty- 


Clara, 
Typical  narrow  cutter,  1884. 

nine  days  out  from  England.  She  was  brought 
out  from  the  Thames  by  one  of  the  crews 
which  make  a  regular  business  of  taking  Brit- 
ish yachts  to  distant  foreign  ports.  Her  skipper 
was  unfamiliar  with  New  York  Harbor,  and 
before  he  fully  realized  that  his  long  cruise  was 
over  he  had  run  far  above  all  the  yacht  anchor- 

198 


Clara,  Minerva,  and  the  Forty-foot  Class    199 

ages  and  well  up  the  Hudson  River.  One  of 
the  crew,  a  boy  about  out  of  his  'teens,  was 
Charles  Barr,  a  brother  of  Captain  John  Barr, 
the  skipper  who,  coming  out  by  steamer,  was 
to  race  the  yacht  on  this  side. 

Clara  was  designed  by  Will  Fife,  Jr.,  and 
built  under  his  management  by  the  Culzean 
Ship-building  Company,  on  the  Clyde,  in  1884, 
for  J.  George  Clark,  a  Scotch  yachtsman.  She 
was  designed  for  the  20-ton  class,  her  dimensions 
being:  length  over  all,  62  feet  2  inches;  load 
water-line,  53  feet;  breadth,  9  feet  i  inch;  draft, 
9  feet  10  inches.  She  was  of  composite  con- 
struction, steel  frames  and  wood  stem,  stern-post, 
keel,  and  planking,  with  all  her  ballast  on  the 
keel.  In  her  first  season  she  proved  very  suc- 
cessful, and  also  in  the  early  part  of  1885 ; 
then  she  was  sold  to  Charles  Sweet,  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Thames  Yacht  Club,  a  London 
barrister  who  was  visiting  New  York  for  an  in- 
definite stay  in  connection  with  some  legal  busi- 
ness. In  this  he  was  associated  with  Charles 
H.  Tweed,  a  New  York  lawyer  residing  at 
Beverly,  Massachusetts,  in  summer,  a  lover  of 
yachting  but  not  a  racing  man.  The  skipper 
selected  by  Mr.  Sweet  was  Captain  John    Barr, 


200  American  Yachting 

a  Scotchman  from  the  Clyde,  where  he  stood 
very  high  as  a  bold,  cautious,  and  skilful  racing 
man. 

After  refitting,  Clara  joined  the  fleet  of  the 
Eastern  Yacht  Club  at  Newport  and  sailed 
with  it  to  New  London,  being  third  yacht  out 
of  a  fleet  of  thirteen,  all  larger  than  she.  The 
fleet  continued  to  New  York  to  witness  the 
Genesta- Puritan  match,  after  which  there  were 
open  races.  In  the  race  for  the  Bennett-Douglas 
cups,  on  September  21,  Clara  won  a  sweepstakes 
of  $600  from  the  cutter  Isis  and  the  compro- 
mise sloops  Daphne  and  Athlon,  all  new  yachts 
of  her  class.  This  was  the  auspicious  beginning 
of  a  remarkable  career,  Clara,  under  the  owner- 
ship of  Messrs.  Sweet  and  Tweed  and  the  cap- 
taincy of  John  Barr,  defeating  everything  in  her 
class,  new  and  old,  until  she  was  looked  upon 
as  invincible.  In  1886  the  compromise  cutter 
Cinderella,  designed  by  Cary  Smith,  was  built 
to  meet  her,  but  proved  unable  to  defeat  her; 
and  in  the  following  year  the  Ellsworth  sloop 
Anaconda,  built  for  the  same  purpose,  fared  no 
better.  Clara  was  of  the  most  extreme  type 
of  narrow  cutter,  her  water-line  being  almost 
six  times  her  breadth.    She  was  an  excellent  boat 


Clara,  Minerva,  and  the  Forty-foot  Class    201 

in  all  weathers,  and  the  handling  of  Captain  Barr 
was  well  worthy  of  Mr.  Fife's  design. 

The  effect  of  the  Cup  races  of  1885,  1886,  and 
1887  was  to  stimulate  yachting  in  all  parts  of 
the  country.  Clubs  were  formed  in  remote  locali- 
ties, the  established  clubs  grew  in  numbers  and 
wealth,  and  many  new  clubs  sprang  up  beside 
them  on  the  coast.  Mr.  Burgess  was  almost 
swamped  with  orders  for  all  classes  of  vessels, 
small  and  large  yachts,  fishermen  and  steamers ; 
and  other  designers  shared  in  the  general  pros- 
perity. Class  racing  was  at  its  height,  the  now 
large  fleet  being  divided  in  a  fairly  systematic 
manner  into  many  classes  with  fixed  limits  of 
water-line,  to  which  yachts  were  specially  de- 
signed. The  90-foot  schooner  class  included 
such  noted  yachts  as  Montauk,  Grayling,  the 
new  Burgess  boats  Sachem  and  Merlin,  and  the 
imported  Miranda  ;  the  smaller  schooners,  promi- 
nent among  which  was  Iroquois,  made  another 
good  class.  The  Cup  class  included  Puritan, 
Mayflower,  Volunteer,  Atlantic,  and  Priscilla, 
these  by  degrees  being  converted  to  the  schooner 
rig.  In  the  70-foot  class  were  Bedouin,  Grade, 
Fanny,  Stra^tger,  Thetis,  Huron,  and  Mischief ; 
and    then    came   the    53-foot  class,   with    Clara, 


202  American  Yachting 

Athlon,  Daphne,  Cinderella,  Anaconda,  and  some 
of  the  old  sloops  remodelled  in  hull  and  with 
new  rigs  patterned  after  the  cutter. 

After  completing  the  design  of  Volunteer  early 
in  1887,  Mr.  Burgess  designed  among  other 
yachts  a  "keel  sloop,"  so  called,  for  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  3d,  and  his  brother,  George  C. 
Adams,  two  young  yachtsmen  who  had  grown 
up  in  cat-boats  about  Quincy,  afterward  going 
into  small  keel  sloops  for  the  racing  about  Massa- 
chusetts Bay.  Papoose  was  in  effect  a  keel  cutter, 
of  similar  type  to  the  Itchen  Length  Class  boats 
then  in  use  about  the  Solent,  but  refined  in  form 
and  rig.  She  was  44  feet  over  all,  36  feet  on  the 
water-line,  1 2  feet  6  inches  in  breadth,  and  7  feet  6 
inches  in  draft,  with  10  tons  of  lead  on  her  keel. 
With  a  plumb  stem  and  the  sheer  and  counter  of  a 
cutter,  she  was  a  smart-looking  craft ;  and  though 
built  to  no  class,  she  raced  during  the  season 
with  the  old  yachts  of  about  her  length,  and 
proved  very  fast. 

About  the  same  time  there  was  built  at  City 
Island,  for  P.  S.  Pearsall  of  New  York,  a  compro- 
mise cutter  of  40  feet  water-line,  with  lead  keel 
and  centre-board,  designed  by  Cary  Smith,  and 
named  Banshee,     The  success  of  Papoose  in  the 


Clara,  Minerva,  and  the  Forty-foot  Class    203 

East  against  such  well-known  boats  as  Shadow 
and  her  fellows  led  to  a  visit  to  Long  Island 
Sound  and  a  series  of  races  with  Banshee^  in 
which  the  keel  boat  was  the  winner.  Coming  at 
a  time  when  the  excitement  over  the  international 
match  was  still  alive,  these  races  attracted  much 
attention  and  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a 
new  class  of  40  feet  water-line.  The  Adams 
brothers  sold  Papoose  and  ordered  a  similar  cutter 
of  40  feet  water-line,  Babboon,  to  replace  her; 
F.  W.  Flint  of  New  York  ordered  of  Mr.  Burgess 
a  centre-board  40,  Nymph ;  Augustus  Hemenway 
ordered  the  centre-board  Chiqtiita;  and  James 
Means,  the  keel  boat  Xara,  The  racing  of  these 
boats  in  1888  led  to  a  number  of  orders  for  the 
following  year.  Mr.  Burgess  turned  out  Verena, 
Lotowana^  Awa,  Mariquita,  Tomahawk,  Chispa, 
Choctaw,  and  Ventura;  Cary  Smith  designed  the 
centre-board  Gorilla;  William  Gardner,  a  young 
American  designer  educated  in  England,  found 
his  first  order  in  Liris ;  and  A.  G.  McVey,  a 
Boston  amateur,  designed  Helen  and  Alice,  At 
the  same  time  a  smaller  class,  of  30  feet  water- 
line,  had  found  almost  as  much  favor  with  yachts- 
men, especially  about  Boston. 

Early  in  1888  Charles  H.  Tweed,  —  one  of  the 


204  American  Yachting 

owners  of  Clara,  who  had  in  1886  imported  the 
narrow  Watson  5-tonner  Shona,  placing  Charles 
Barr  in  charge  with  John  Barr,  Jr.,  as  "  crew,"  — 
placed  an  order  with  Will  Fife,  Jr.,  for  a  cutter  of 
40  feet  water-line,  to  be  used  for  pleasure  sailing 
about  Marblehead  and  Beverly,  the  details  being 
left  to  the  designer  with  no  stipulations,  save  that 
she  was  to  be  a  safe  and  comfortable  little  boat. 
When  she  neared  completion  in  the  summer. 
Captain  Charles  Barr  was  sent  across  to  Fairlie. 
She  was  launched  with  the  name  of  Minerva,  and 
under  a  small  rig  Captain  Barr  started  across  the 
Atlantic.  She  made  the  voyage  in  safety,  and  dur- 
ing the  fall  her  owner  used  her  about  Marble- 
head.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1889  she  was  fitted 
out  by  Captain  Barr  and  sailed  to  New  York,  Mr. 
Tweed  being  a  member  of  the  Corinthian  Yacht 
Club,  and,  as  much  of  his  time  was  spent  in  that 
city,  intending  to  use  her  about  the  bay  and 
Sound. 

The  season  of  1889  opened  with  a  large  and 
fine  fleet  of  40-footers,  as  well  as  with  a  fine 
representation  in  the  70-foot  class,  including 
Titania  and  Katrina,  —  the  latter  a  new  steel 
centre-board  cutter  designed  by  Cary  Smith. 
The  40-footers  were  wide,  powerful  boats,  of  great 


Clara,  Minerva,  and  the  Forty-foot  Class    205 

draft,  and  well  ballasted  and  sparred.  The  larg- 
est was  Liris,  designed  by  William  Gardner  for 
C.  W.  Wetmore,  Colgate  Hoyt,  and  Samuel 
Mather,  of  the  Seawanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht 
Club;  a  keel  boat  of  57  feet  over  all,  13  feet  6 
inches  breadth,  and  9  feet  9  inches  draft,  with  a 
lightly  constructed  hull,  steel  frames,  and  double 


Minerva. 
Wide  cutter,  1888. 


planking,  the  outer  skin  of  mahogany.  Her  lead 
keel  weighed  i6  tons,  and  her  sail  area  measured 
3603  square  feet ;  her  spars  were  all  hollow,  and 
she  had  imported  canvas,  the  light  sails  being  of 
the  then  new  "  Union  silk,"  used  two  years  before 
by  Thistle,  She  was  manned  by  a  Corinthian 
crew,  and  in  most  of  her  races  was  steered  by  a 
Corinthian.  The  Burgess  40-footers  were  of  the 
same  general  type  but  of  less  draft  and  power, 


2o6  American  Yachting 

with  from  3100  to  3300  square  feet  of  sail;  they 
were  heavier  in  construction,  with  single  plank- 
ing, mostly  on  wooden  frames,  and  solid  spars. 
The  Gary  Smith  boat,  Gorilla,  was  of  the  deep 
centre-board  type,  14  feet  3  inches  wide,  and  very 
powerful.  The  owners  of  the  class  included  such 
yachtsmen  as  E.  D.  Morgan,  Royal  Phelps  Car- 
roll, and  August  Belmont,  prominent  as  owners 
of  much  larger  racing  yachts. 

After  starting  bravely  in  the  first  race,  the 
annual  regatta  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club,  on 
June  13,  Liris  lost  her  new  hollow  mast  before 
she  was  outside  Sandy  Hook,  and  reluctantly 
took  a  tow  for  home,  leaving  her  competitors 
going  like  steamboats  for  the  light-ship  in  a 
fresh  southwest  breeze.  In  discussing  their 
hard  luck,  —  as  the  yacht  must  inevitably  miss  the 
other  races  of  the  week  while  awaiting  a  new 
spar,  —  it  was  suggested  by  E.  M.  Padelford,  one 
of  her  Corinthian  crew,  that  Mr.  Tweed  might 
be  willing  to  lend  MineTua  for  a  race,  he  being 
deputized  by  the  others  to  arrange  the  matter  if 
possible.  Mr.  Tweed  consented  very  readily, 
and  two  days  later,  in  the  Seawanhaka  race, 
Minerva  started,  with  J.  F.  Lovejoy,  a  Corinthian, 
at  the  stick,  and  a  Corinthian  crew  with  the  excep- 


Clara,  Minerva^  and  the  Forty-foot  Class    207 


tion  of  Captain  Tom  Sloane,  the  skipper  of  Ltrts, 
The  weather  was  variable,  with  calms  mixed  in 
with  a  squall,  but  it  seemed  to  make  little  differ- 
ence to  Minerva,  She  went  ahead,  with  or  with- 
out wind,  and  won  easily.  From  this  on  she  was 
raced  regularly  through  the  season,  in  the  hands 
of  Captain  Charles  Barr,  winning  with  a  sad 
monotony,  until  the  cry,  almost  pathetic,  went  up 
from  the  press  and  from  yachtsmen,  for  "  any- 
thing to  stop  Minervar 

The  vast  difference  between  her  and  her 
American  rivals  is  shown  in  the  sail  area,  a  total 
of  but  2700  square  feet,  or  75  per  cent  of  that 
of  Liris,  Her  length  over  all  was  54  feet,  her 
breadth  was  10  feet  4  inches,  and  draft  9  feet. 
Her  form  was  beautifully  proportioned,  with  fair, 
easy  lines,  and  she  had  but  a  moderate  area  of 
lateral  plane,  almost  triangular  in  outline,  as  com- 
pared with  the  deep,  straight  keels  of  the  Burgess 
boats;  and  yet  she  went  to  windward  in  a  wonder- 
ful way. 

The  summer  of  1889  was  spent  by  the  Adams 
brothers  in  British  waters,  where  they  sailed  on 
the  leading  yachts,  including  the  crack  lo-rater, 
Fife's  Yvonne,  and  made  themselves  thoroughly 
familiar   with  British  yachts  and  British  racing 


2o8  American  Yachting 

methods.  On  their  return  they  placed  an  order 
with  Mr.  Burgess  for  a  new  boat  that  should 
really  "  stop  Mi^terva^  The  result  was  Gossoon, 
a  keel  boat,  of  less  breadth,  fuller  section  below, 
and  more  displacement  than  the  older  boats,  and 
with  a  more  moderate  sail  plan.  The  construction, 
which  was  considered  very  light  at  the  time, 
included  a  number  of  steel  frames  in  addition  to 
the  usual  wooden  ones,  the  planking  being  of 
wood.  Two  other  new  Burgess  boats  were  added 
to  the  class,  Ventura  and  Moccasin, — both  deep 
centre-board  cutters,  of  different  proportions. 
These  three,  with  Liris,  Mariquita,  and  the  older 
boats,  made  a  magnificent  fleet,  many  of  them 
being  raced  persistently  throughout  the  season  of 
1890.  The  result  was  to  the  credit  of  the  little 
Scotch  cutter ;  at  the  end  of  the  season  she  tied 
Gossoon,  the  leading  American  boat,  each  having 
won  five  out  of  ten  races  in  which  they  met,  the 
result  of  one  race  being  in  dispute,  owing  to  a 
question  as  to  a  measurement  which  was  never 
verified.  Though  it  is  the  common  belief  that 
Gossoon  really  did  what  she  was  built  for  in  de- 
feating Minerva,  the  most  that  can  fairly  be  said 
is  that  the  final  result  was  a  draw  between  the 
new  and  the  old  boat. 


Clara,  Minerva^  and  the  Forty-foot  Class    209 

The  40-foot  class  must  always  stand  as  one 
of  the  best  racing  classes  in  American  yachting. 
It  numbered  in  all  twenty-one  yachts,  sill  but  five 
being  designed  by  Mr.  Burgess,  of  the  same 
water-line  length,  in  addition  to  such  old  boats  as 
elected  to  race  with  the  class.  All  of  them  were 
stanch,    strongly   built    craft,    of   moderate   cost 


Gossoon. 
Typical  Burgess  cutter,  1888-1890. 

{Minerva  cost  but  $5000);  they  were  used  for 
cruising  when  not  busy  with  the  races;  and  they 
were  ultimately  sold  at  good  figures.  With  the 
exception  of  the  steel  Tomahawk,  all  are  afloat 
and  in  use  at  the  present  time.  They  brought 
into  racing  many  good  yachtsmen,  and  they 
proved  a  good  school  for  racing  skippers.  The 
30-foot  class  was  a  miniature  of  the  other,  giving 
good  racing  for  several  seasons  in  an  excellent 
type  of  yacht. 


2IO  American  Yachting 

It  is  hard  to  say  now  why  the  40-foot  class 
was  abandoned  at  the  time  when  the  racing  was 
at  its  height ;  but  after  the  end  of  the  season  of 
1890  the  idea  of  a  new  and  larger  class  was 
mooted  in  the  daily  papers,  and  was  taken  up  by 
some  of  those  who  had  failed  in  their  efforts  to 
head  the  old  class.  The  new  class,  of  46  feet 
water-line,  offered  a  larger  and  more  costly  boat 
in  every  way,  with  little  more  accommodation  and 
in  no  way  giving  better  sport ;  but  it  soon  found 
supporters,  and  orders  were  placed  with  both 
Burgess  and  Fife. 


CHAPTER   XIV 


HERRESHOFF   AND    GLORIANA 


The  changes 
in  the  form  of 
yachts  have 
been  so  varied 
and  contradic- 
tory that  it  is 
almost  impossi- 
ble to  ascribe 
them  to  any 
sound  technical 
foundation  on 
the  accepted 
principles  of 
naval  architec- 
ture ;  and  it 
would  appear  that,  from  the  first,  builders  and 
even  designers  have  followed  very  largely  their 
own  ideas,  influenced  by  tradition,  measurement 
rules,  and  local  conditions.  The  leading  char- 
acteristic of  the  first  yachts  was  the  "  cod's  head 

211 


Gloriam. 


212  American  Yacbtim 


& 


and  mackerel's  tail  "  form,  with  blunt  bows  and 
fine  run,  —  a  model  which  had  no  scientific  basis 
and  which  was  entirely  wrong.  The  revolution 
brought  about  by  George  Steers,  Scott  Russell, 
and  the  designers  of  Mosquito  produced  a  model 
in  every  way  adapted  for  speed  and  for  sea- 
going work,  the  yachts  of  the  early  fifties  stand- 
ing to-day  as  brilliant  marks  in  the  history  of 
yacht  designing.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before 
these  models  were  cast  aside,  in  England  for 
the  narrow  cutter,  and  in  America  for  the  wide 
sloop,  —  flat,  unshapely  things  whose  bulging 
middles  made  necessary  the  most  extreme  form 
of  hollow  bow.  Such  forms  were  dangerous  in 
smooth  water  from  their  lack  of  stability,  and  they 
were  far  worse  in  a  seaway,  the  hollow  bows  lack- 
ing buoyancy  and  going  under  as  soon  as  the 
vessel  heeled  and  immersed  her  full,  heavy 
quarter. 

Under  the  guiding  hands  of  Cary  Smith  and 
Burgess,  yacht  designing  was  placed  upon  a  new 
and  higher  plane  and  a  great  revolution  was 
accomplished  in  form,  in  both  the  keel  and 
centre-board  types,  as  shown  in  Intrepid,  Fortuna, 
Papoose,  Babboon,  Puritan,  Iroquois,  Banshee, 
and   Nymph,     In   all   of   these  and    many  sister 


Herresboff  and  Gloriana  213 

boats  the  general  form,  while  modified  in  propor- 
tions and  details  according  to  size  and  intended 
use,  possessed  the  same  characteristics  as  that  of 
the  America,  being  based,  like  all  of  Steers*  work, 
upon  thoroughly  sound  principles  of  design.  In 
accordance  with  American  ideas  the  proportion 
of  breadth  to  length  was  high,  and  the  proportion 
of  depth  to  breadth  was  in  some  cases  low,  but 
taken  together  the  fleet  was  characterized  by  sea- 
worthy form  and  a  stanch  and  strong  construc- 
tion. The  general  characteristics  of  these  yachts 
were  a  liberal  amount  of  displacement  disposed 
according  to  the  wave  form  theory  of  John  Hys- 
lop ;  a  fairly  full  midship  section  with  round  bilge 
(in  the  keel  and  the  deeper  centre-board  boats  this 
section  being  of  S  form) ;  an  outside  keel  into 
which  was  built  most  of  the  ballast ;  and  a  rather 
fine  bow,  with  a  moderate  amount  of  hollow  in 
the  forward  water-lines  of  the  wider  boats,  this 
hollow  decreasing  in  the  narrower  yachts.  In  the 
British  yachts  of  the  same  period,  owing  to  the 
extremely  limited  breadth,  designers  had,  almost 
as  a  matter  of  course,  resorted  to  a  full,  convex 
water-line  forward. 

While  the  straight,  plumb  stem  was  seen  on 
some  of  the  yachts  of  the  sloop  era,  the  fashion 


214  American  Yacbting 

of  the  day  through  the  seventies  was  for  the 
"  clipper  stem," — a  small  amount  of  forward  over- 
hang, made  up  almost  entirely  of  false  work,  dead- 
wood,  and  ornamentation,  and  in  no  essential 
particular  different  in  effect  from  the  plumb  stem. 
With  the  advent  of  the  first  cutters  the  plumb 
stem,  either  perfectly  straight  or  with  a  very 
slight  round,  came  into  fashion  in  this  country, 
being  a  distinguishing  feature  of  Mischief,  Pris- 
cilia,  Puritan,  Mayflower,  Papoose,  and  their 
contemporaries,  as  well  as  of  Genesta  and  Galatea. 
The  "  clipper  stem,"  or  "  fiddle  bow,"  was  gen- 
erally used  on  schooner  yachts  in  England ;  but 
the  plumb  stem  was  so  nearly  universal  for  all 
cutters  that  something  of  a  sensation  was  created 
when,  in  1880,  Robert  Hewett,  an  amateur,  brought 
out  the  lo-tonner  Buttercup  with  a  clipper  stem, 
which  was  soon  known  as  the  "  Buttercup  bow." 
In  making  his  radical  departure  from  the  conven- 
tional cutter  lines  in  designing  Thistle,  in  1886, 
Mr.  Watson  gave  her  a  clipper  stem  which  was 
more  than  a  mere  ornament,  actually  carrying  out 
the  deck  line  and  the  upper  portion  of  the  stem. 
Volunteer,  designed  a  little  later,  had  also  what 
was  called  a  clipper  stem,  but  it  gave  practically 
no  added  length  on  deck.    The  centre-board  cutter 


Herresboff  and  Gloriana  215 

Titania,  designed  by  Burgess  in  1887,  had  a  plumb 
stem;  but  her  classmate  Katrina,  designed  by 
Cary  Smith,  in  1888,  had  the  same  bow  as  Thistle, 

After  the  lead  of  Thistle  the  clipper  stem  be- 
came common  on  British  cutters,  but  the  Burgess 
boats  were  divided  between  the  plumb  and  the 
clipper  stem,  the  latter  when  used  being  very 
short  and  little  more  than  an  ornament. 

All  the  new  46-footers  designed  in  the  winter 
of  1 890-1 89 1  had  this  short  clipper  stem,  with  a 
slightly  hollow  water-line  forward  and  a  decided 
forefoot,  though  the  fore  end  of  the  keel  was  well 
rockered  up. 

About  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  a  small  boat- 
shop  was  started  at  Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  by 
John  B.  Herreshoff,  one  of  a  large  family  of  boys 
and  girls,  grandchildren  of  Frederick  Herreshoff, 
a  Prussian  engineer,  who  settled  in  Rhode  Island 
in  1790.  A  blindness,  apparently  hereditary,  af- 
flicted several  members  of  the  family,  and  when 
still  a  young  boy  John  B.  Herreshoff  by  degrees 
lost  his  sight.  Living  on  the  beautiful  waters 
at  the  head  of  Narragansett  Bay,  he  was  already 
a  skilful  boat  sailor,  and  in  spite  of  his  affliction 
he  continued  sailing  and  racing,  his  younger 
brother   Nathaniel   Greene    Herreshoff,  born   in 


2i6  American  Yachting 

1848,  going  with  him  and  acting  as  lookout. 
The  loss  of  sight  merely  served  to  develop  to  a 
most  remarkable  degree  the  other  senses,  and  as 
a  young  man  John  Herreshoff  was  accustomed 
to  work  at  the  bench,  making  repairs  on  his  boats  ; 
and  in  time,  while  his  brother  was  a  student  of 
engineering  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology,  he  started  to  model  and  build  yachts 
as  a  regular  business. 

While  following  the  centre-board  type,  the 
Herreshoff  models  were  deeper  and  abler  than 
the  New  York  boats,  and  of  better  form  through- 
out; and  they  soon  became  famous  between 
Bristol  and  Boston.  Most  of  the  yachtsmen  who 
have  been  prominent  in  recent  years  in  Boston 
yachting  were  practically  cradled  in  small  sloops 
and  cat-boats  modelled  and  built  by  John  B.  Her- 
reshoff at  this  time.  After  graduation  Nathaniel 
spent  several  years  with  the  Corliss  Engine  Works 
in  Providence,  having  charge  of  the  erection  of 
the  large  Corliss  engine  which  was  a  notable  fea- 
ture of  the  Centennial  Exhibition  of  1876.  About 
this  time  the  two  brothers  became  interested  in 
steam,  and  under  the  name  of  the  Herreshoff 
Manufacturing  Company  they  turned  out  the 
fastest  launches  of  the  day  and  some  of  the  first 


Herresboff  and  Gloriana  2 1 7 

torpedo-boats,  by  degrees  working  into  larger 
steam  yachts.  Occasionally  a  small  sailing  yacht 
was  built  to  order,  and  "  Nat "  Herresboff  always 
had  a  yacht  for  his  own  use,  but  the  main  effort 
was  concentrated  on  steam  craft.  In  1887  the 
Herresboff  catamaran  made  its  appearance  in 
New  York  Harbor,  showing  a  wonderful  speed,, 
and  making  the  type  popular  for  a  few  years. 

In  1883  Mr.  Herresboff  built  for  himself  a 
sturdy  little  cruising  cutter,  Co7isuelo,  of  28  feet 
6  inches  water-line,  8  feet  8  inches  breadth,  and 
5  feet  6  inches  draft,  with  lead  keel,  rigged  as  a 
"cat  yawl,"  and  fitted  with  many  curious  con- 
trivances of  his  own  invention.  Other  small  ex- 
perimental keel  boats  followed  from  time  to  time, 
until  in  1890  he  produced  two  that  were  notable 
departures  from  all  existing  practice.  Both  of 
them  were  derived  from  a  very  close  study  of 
Miiterva,  but  she  was  only  the  starting-point  for 
Mr.  Herresboff 's  original  ideas.  When  the  for- 
mation of  the  46-foot  class  became  a  certainty,  he 
submitted  to  E.  D.  Morgan,  the  owner  of  one  of 
the  experimental  boats,  a  design  from  which  was 
built  the  noted  Gloriana, 

To  the  eye,  the  most  notable  feature  of  this 
yacht,  which  jumped  at  once  to  the  top  of  the 


2i8  American  Yachting 

class  and  held  the  first  place  through  the  season, 
was  the  great  over-all  length  and  the  peculiar  for- 
ward overhang;  but  these  details  were  largely 
superficial.  In  the  furor  created  by  the  press 
over  the  "  Gloriana  bow,"  no  one  took  the  trouble 


Cloriana. 

to  study,  as  it  deserved,  this   most   remarkable 
design. 

Gloriana  was  built  to  race  under  the  "  length- 
and-sail-area "  rule  then  in  general  use,  with  a 
classification  by  water-line  length,  and  an  allow- 
ance of  time  for  measurement  by  water-line  and 
the  square  root  of  the  sail  area,  —  conditions  which 
induced  a  large  hull  on  a  short  measured  water- 
line,  with  a  large  sail  plan  carried  by  virtue  of 
breadth,  draft,  and  ballast.  With  a  moderate 
breadth,  13  feet,  and  a  draft  of  10  feet  2  inches, 
the  midship  section  was  of  the  S  form,  but  with 
more  hollow,  giving  less  area,  and  consequently 


Herresboff  and  Gloriana  219 

less  displacement  for  the  dimensions,  than  in  such 
a  yacht  as  Minerva,  The  fine  fore  end  of  the 
water-line  and  the  forefoot  just  beneath  it  that 
characterized  the  yachts  of  the  time  were  boldly 
cut  away,  with  several  good  results.  The  actual 
measured  length  was  reduced  by  several  feet,  the 
area  of  wetted  surface  was  also  reduced,  and  the 
area  of  water-line  plane  was  increased  in  propor- 
tion to  its  length,  giving  great  stability  whether 
upright  or  heeled. 

All  the  early  yachts  were  built  with  straight 
keels,  from  which  the  stem  rose  at  almost  a  right 
angle,  the  draft  at  the  fore  end  of  the  keel  being 
almost  as  great  as  at  the  after  end.  This  "  fore- 
foot," as  it  was  called,  was  considered  essential 
at  first,  but  by  degrees  it  was  cut  away.  It  was 
in  evidence  in  a  degree  in  Genesta  and  Galatea, 
but  in  Thistle  and  Minerva  it  was  inconspicuous, 
the  outline  approaching  a  triangle  rather  than  a 
rectangle.  Mr.  Herreshoff  decided  that  this 
suppression  of  the  forefoot,  and  the  fine  wedge- 
like end  of  the  water-line,  could  be  carried  to  a 
much  greater  extreme  with  a  marked  advantage 
in  reducing  the  measured  length,  and  no  disad- 
vantage in  the  blunter  form  of  entrance,  provided 
the  work  was  skilfully  executed.     As  an  accidental 


220  American  Yachting 

feature  of  this  cutting  away,  rather  than  as  an 
essential  point  of  design,  the  forward  overhang 
was  for  the  time  of  extraordinary  length. 

Apart  from  its  special  features,  the  whole  form 
of  the  boat  betrayed  the  skill  of  which  additional 
evidence  has  since  been  given  in  abundance.  All 
the  fore-and-aft  lines,  the  diagonals  and  dividing 
lines,  were  fair  and  true,  with  no  hollows,  follow- 
ing the  practice  of  George  Steers ;  and  the  whole 
form  was  so  moulded  that  when  heeling  in 
smooth  water  or  pitching  and  scending  in  a  sea, 
its  general  character  remained  unchanged.  The 
different  level  lines  of  the  bow,  below  and  above 
water,  had  approximately  the  same  angle  of 
entrance,  in  place  of  being  exceedingly  fine  below, 
and  very  full  at  the  deck. 

An  important  factor  in  Glorianas  success  was 
her  construction.  The  new  Burgess  46-footers, 
intended  to  be  much  lighter  in  proportion  than 
the  40-footers,  proved  failures  in  the  matter  of 
construction,  being  heavy  and  not  over  strong, 
with  a  single  skin  of  yellow  pine,  caulked,  and 
steel  frames.  Gloriana  was  built  after  a  semi- 
composite  system  perfected  in  the  Herreshoff 
steam  yachts  years  before,  with  steel  frames  and 
planking   in  two  thicknesses,  with  no   caulking, 


Herresboff  and  GXomm  221 

each  outer  strake  being  carefully  fitted  and  laid 
in  white  lead,  making  a  surface  almost  without 
seams.  The  sail  plan  was  large,  measuring  4100 
square  feet,  or  100  feet  more  than  Mischief,  of 
61  feet  water-line;  and  it  was  cleverly  planned, 
while  the  mechanical  points  of  the  rig  were  care- 
fully worked  out. 

From  keel  to  truck  Gloriana  was  a  masterpiece 
of  original  thought,  careful  selection  of  elements, 
and  attention  to  minute  detail ;  and  the  wisdom 
and  perspicacity  of  both  practical  yachtsmen  and 
of  expert  yachting  writers  was  never  better  ex- 
emplified than  when  they  one  and  all  refused  to 
see  anything  to  her  but  the  over-all  length  and 
the  point  of  the  fore  overhang.  Just  as  British 
yachtsmen  forty  years  before  had  servilely  imi- 
tated the  hollow  bow  of  the  America  and  the 
absurd  rake  of  her  masts,  the  yachtsmen  of  1892 
set  to  work  to  increase  the  speed  of  their  yachts 
by  means  of  added  length  on  deck  and  long 
pointed  bows,  overlooking  the  true  essentials. 

So  far  from  being  exhausted  by  the  production 
of  Gloriana,  the  busy  brain  of  her  designer  was 
at  work  through  the  summer  following;  and  in 
the  fall  of  1 89 1  he  launched  a  small  experimental 
yacht   for   his   own   use.     Dilemma,  as   she  was 


222 


American  Yachting 


aptly  named,  was  practically  a  wide  canoe  with 
long  overhangs,  her  length  over  all  being  38  feet 
on  a  water-line  of  but  26  feet ;  her  breadth  was  7 


Herreshoff  Fin  Keel,  1892. 


feet,  and  the  draft  of  the  hull  a  little  over  a  foot. 
On  these  dimensions  it  was  possible  to  obtain  the 
same  long,  easy  lines  that  characterized  Gloriana, 


Herresboff  and  Gloriana  223 

The  most  remarkable  feature,  however,  was  the 
keel,  —  a  rectangular  plate  of  steel,  to  the  lower 
edge  of  which  were  bolted  the  two  halves  of  a  cigar- 
shaped  bulb  of  lead  weighing  two  tons.  This 
"  fin  keel,"  as  it  was  called,  was  secured  to  the 
oak  keel  of  the  boat  by  means  of  two  angle  irons 
and  bolts.  This  new  craft  carried  to  a  much 
greater  extreme  one  of  the  essential  features  of 
Gloriana,  —  breadth  as  an  element  of  power,  depth 
as  another  element  of  power  in  the  length  of 
lever  through  which  the  lead  keel  acted,  and  with 
these  a  small  area  of  midship  section.  The  little 
craft  showed  exceptional  speed  on  trial,  and  from 
her  sprang  yachts  of  all  sizes,  cruisers  and  racers, 
whose  number  it  would  be  impossible  to  estimate. 
The  advent  of  Gloriana  created  as  great  an 
excitement  as  that  of  Puritan,  and  her  influence 
on  design  was  ultimately  as  widespread,  affecting 
both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Before  the  season's 
racing  was  well  under  way  Mr.  Burgess  was 
attacked  by  typhoid  fever,  the  result  of  contin- 
ued application  to  his  profession,  and  he  died  on 
July  12,  at  the  age  of  forty-three.  Through  his 
illness  he  was  spared  the  knowledge  of  the  fail- 
ure of  his  new  boats,  and  the  advent  of  Mr.  Her- 
reshoff  in  the  field  of  sailing  yachts. 


224  American  Yachting 

In  1892  a  new  Herreshoff  46-footer,  Wasp,  was 
launched  for  Archibald  Rogers,  former  owner  of 
Bedouin,  with  Captain  Charles  Barr  in  command. 
She  was  larger  and  more  powerful,  with  some 
changes  of  form,  but  the  same  essentials;  care- 
fully designed  to  the  limit  of  existing  rules,  she 
not  only  won  in  her  first  seasons,  but  held  a 
prominent  place  in  racing  for  a  number  of  years. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  an  order  was 
placed  with  the  Herreshoffs  for  Navahoe,  a  steel 
racing  cutter  of  84  feet  water-line,  by  Royal 
Phelps  Carroll.  Following  the  general  plan  of 
Gloriana,  the  fore-and-aft  lines  were  carried  out 
into  long  overhangs,  the  length  on  deck  being 
123  feet,  with  a  breadth  of  23  feet  6  inches  and 
a  draft  of  a  little  over  12  feet.  The  hull  was  of 
steel,  with  a  steel  trunk  for  the  centre-board,  and 
the  ballast  was  all  cast  in  the  keel  trough.  After 
the  first  trials  of  the  yacht  in  the  early  spring, 
she  was  placed  on  a  dry-dock  at  Providence,  and 
at  a  heavy  expense  to  her  owner  this  lead  was 
cut  out  and  transferred  to  the  outside  of  the  keel, 
increasing  the  draft  by  over  a  foot.  Later  in 
the  season  she  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  raced 
against  the  new  Britannia,  Valkyrie  II,  Satania, 
and  Calluna  with  rather  poor  success. 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE    DUNRAVEN    CHALLENGES 

Wyndham  Thomas  Wyndam  Quin,  fourth 
Earl  of  Dunraven,  was  born  at  Adare  Abbey, 
Ireland,  in  1841,  and  educated  at  Christ  Church, 
Oxford,  entering  the  First  Life  Guards  in  1865. 
Two  years  later  he  acted  as  war  correspondent 
for  the  Daily  Telegraph,  of  London,  during  the 
Abyssinian  campaign ;  and  later  he  did  the  same 
work  during  the  Franco-Prussian  war.  In  1871 
he  succeeded  to  the  title,  and  later  he  served  as 
Under-Secretary  for  the  Colonies  under  the  two 
administrations  of  Lord  Salisbury.  In  1887  he 
resigned  his  office,  being  dissatisfied  with  the 
preferment  accorded  to  him,  and  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  he  placed  an  order  for  his  first 
yacht,  the  cutter  Petronilla,  85  tons,  designed  by 
A.  Richardson  and  built  by  J.  G.  Fay  &  Son, 
at  Southampton.  She  was  raced  in  1888  with 
poor  success,  and  in  the  fall  he  placed  an  order 
with  Mr.  Watson  for  a  larger  cutter,  of  70  feet 
water-line,  Valkyrie  /. 

Q  225 


2  26  American  Yachting 

Very  early  in  his  yachting  career  Lord  Dun- 
raven  cast  his  eyes  upon  the  America  Cup,  then 
practically  locked  up  by  the  New  Deed  of  Gift 
and  the  resolve  of  British  clubs  that  they  would 
not  challenge  under  it.  Early  in  1889  he  began 
negotiations  through  the  Royal  Yacht  Squad- 
ron for  a  match,  and  the  matter  progressed  so 
far  that  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  offered  to 
make  certain  terms  with  him,  provided  that  the 
Cup,  if  won,  should  be  held  by  the  Squadron 
strictly  under  the  new  deed.  This  the  Squad- 
ron positively  refused  to  accede  to,  and  the  sub- 
ject was  dropped  for  the  time. 

As  the  70-foot  class  was  then  at  its  best,  with 
Katrina^  Titania^  and  Shamrock  —  the  wooden 
centre-board  cutter  —  all  racing,  many  American 
yachtsmen  favored  the  idea  of  a  positive  accept- 
ance of  a  challenge  from  a  70-footer;  but  Mr. 
Burgess  and  others  very  prominent  in  yachting 
insisted  that  a  challenger,  no  matter  how  small, 
should  only  be  met  with  the  largest  and  fast- 
est yacht  which  could  be  put  against  her,  —  this 
being  at  the  time  Volunteer,  After  correspond- 
ence back  and  forth  at  intervals,  an  agreement 
was  finally  reached  late  in  1892  by  which  the 
Royal  Yacht   Squadron,  acting  for  Lord   Dun- 


The  Dunraven  Challenges 


227 


raven,  was  allowed  to  challenge,  giving  only  the 
water-line  length  of  the  yacht,  in  return  being 
granted  what  had  been  asked  by  and  denied  to 
each  previous  challenger  with  the  exception  of 
Mr.  Ashbury  in  1871,  —  a  series  of  three  out 
of  five  races.  The  subject  of  the  new  deed  was 
not  directly  mentioned,  but  it  was  understood 
by  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  that  it  was  still 


Valkyrie  11, 

in  force,  and  recognized  as  the  only  legal  state- 
ment of  the  trust ;  while  the  Royal  Yacht  Squad- 
ron, on  its  side,  ignored  it,  and  agreed  only  to 
hold  the  Cup,  if  won,  under  the  actual  terms  of 
the  match,  the  challenge  naming  only  the  water- 
line,  with  a  penalty  if  it  were  exceeded,  and  the 
series  including  five  races  on  the  open  sea. 

As  it  was  plain  that  the  defence  would  rely 
upon  a  90-footer,  however  small  the  challenger 
might  be,  the  length  of  the  new  yacht  ordered  of 


228  American  Yachting 

Mr.  Watson,  Valkyrie  II,  was  given  as  85  feet. 
Apart  from  the  revolution  effected  by  Gloriana, 
Volunteer  was  now  out  of  date,  and  preparations 
were  made  for  a  new  class  of  Cup  defenders. 
As  soon  as  the  details  were  finally  arranged,  a  syn- 
dicate was  made  up  within  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club,  including  Archibald  Rogers,  F.  W.  Vander- 
bilt,  W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  F.  Augustus  Schermer- 
horn,  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  and  John  E.  Brooks, 
and  a  carte  blanche  order  was  placed  with  the 
Herreshoff  Manufacturing  Company  for  a  Cup 
defender  of  85  feet  water-line,  all  dimensions 
and  details  being  left  to  the  builders.  The  yacht 
when  launched  was  named  Colonia,  and  Captain 
"  Hank "  HafI  was  selected  to  sail  her. 

John  B.  Paine,  a  son  of  General  Paine  and  an 
amateur  designer  and  racing  man,  also  designed 
a  fin  keel,  Jubilee,  built  of  steel  by  Lawley  &  Son 
for  General  Paine.  The  successors  of  Mr.  Burgess, 
Stewart  &  Binney,  organized  another  syndicate 
of  Boston  yachtsmen  and  built  a  more  extreme 
fin  keel.  Pilgrim.  After  the  work  was  well 
begun  on  Colonia  a  second  New  York  syndicate 
was  formed,  including  C.  Oliver  Iselin,  E.  D. 
Morgan,  Oliver  H.  P.  Belmont,  August  Belmont, 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  Charles   R.  Flint,  Chester 


The  Dunraven  Challenges 


229 


W.  Chapin,  George  C.  Clark,  Henry  Astor  Carey, 
W.  Barton  Hopkins,  and  E.  M.  Fulton,  Jr.,  and 
a  second  yacht  was  ordered  from  the  Herre- 
shoffs,  the  name  of  Vigilant  being  selected  for 
her. 

Colonia  was  to  be  a  keel  boat,  with  steel  hull ; 
and  as  the  draft  of  water  outside  the  Bristol 
shops  was  limited,  she  was  designed  to  draw  but 


Vigilant. 

fourteen  feet.  The  second  syndicate  decided  on 
a  deep  centre-board  boat,  and  at  the  same  time 
placed  an  order  with  the  makers  of  Tobin  bronze, 
a  very  strong  alloy,  for  an  exclusive  supply  of  this 
metal.  As  the  demand  for  it  was  then  limited, 
the  first  syndicate,  though  desirous  of  substituting 
bronze  for  steel  in  the  plating  of  Colonia  after  the 
plans  of  the  second  syndicate  were  made  known, 
was  unable  to  do  so. 

The  racing  of  these  four  big  cutters  throughout 
the   season,  ending  in  the  formal  trial  races,  fur- 


230  American  Yachting 

nished  good  sport  for  the  participants  and  enlisted 
the  interest  of  yachtsmen  throughout  the  world, 
the  contests  for  the  America  Cup  having  long 
since  ceased  to  be  local  either  to  New  York  or 
the  yachting  system  of  the  Atlantic  states.  The 
results  may  be  briefly  summarized  as  follows  :  — 
Colonia,  under  the  able  management  of  Mr. 
Rogers  as  "  managing  owner,"  —  a  new  term  then 
in  yachting,  —  and  of  Captain  Haff ,  showed  every 
evidence  of  speed  except  to  windward,  where  she 
was  crippled  by  her  lack  of  lateral  plane.  She 
was  in  many  ways  an  enlarged  Wasp ;  but  while 
the  draft  of  that  famous  boat  was  24  per  cent  of 
her  water-line  length,  the  corresponding  propor- 
tion in  Colonia  was  but  16  per  cent.  In  addition 
to  this  she,  in  company  with  Pilgrim  and  Jubilee, 
was  handicapped  by  the  serious  defect  of  steel 
plating, —  the  rough  scale  produced  in  rolling,  and 
which  can  only  be  removed  by  continual  rusting 
and  cleaning.  Until  the  advent  of  Shamrock  III, 
in  1903,  with  a  nickel  steel  bottom  covered  with 
a  hard,  smooth  coat  of  enamel,  all  iron  and  steel 
vessels  have  suffered  in  this  way  through  their  first 
season,  as  it  is  only  after  some  months  of  immer- 
sion, and  frequent  scraping  and  painting,  that  it 
is  possible  to  obtain  a  smooth  surface  which  will 


The  Dunraven  Challenges  231 

retain  paint.  Mr.  Herreshoff,  when  appealed  to 
personally  by  the  members  of  this  powerful 
syndicate,  was  busy  with  Vigilant  and  took  no 
measures  for  the  deepening  of  Colonials  keel,  and 
she  went  into  the  trial  races  after  some  rather 
crude  botch  work  on  a  dry-dock  in  New  York. 
The  true  merits  of  her  hull  model  were  fully 
demonstrated  several  years  later  when,  under  the 
superintendence  of  Gary  Smith,  a  centre-board 
was  added  at  heavy  expense  and  she  was  altered 
to  the  schooner  rig.  Sailed  by  Captain  Charles 
Barr,  she  was  for  several  years  the  head  of  her 
new  class. 

Vigilant,  with  C.  Oliver  Iselin  as  "managing 
owner  "  and  Captain  William  Hansen  as  skipper, 
proved  easily  the  best  of  the  four,  and  was  chosen 
to  defend  the  Cup ;  in  fact,  she  was  the  only  one 
of  the  four  radical  experiments  of  the  year  which 
can  be  classed  as  other  than  a  failure.  She  had 
some  serious  defects.  Her  centre  of  effort  was 
abnormally  far  forward,  and  she  steered  very 
badly,  while  her  weighted  centre-board  of  four 
tons  gave  her  much  trouble,  being  jammed  and 
even  lost  entirely  at  different  times  in  her  subse- 
quent career.  She  had,  however,  many  strong 
points.     Up  to  this  time  there  had  existed  no 


232  American  Yachting 

restriction  upon  the  number  of  crew  carried  in 
the  large  cutters,  American  and  English,  the  con- 
sideration of  useless  weight  on  deck  as  compared 
with  lead  in  the  keel  impelling  the  use  of  only 
such  a  number  as  was  required  for  the  effective 
handling  of  the  sails,  —  some  fifty  odd.  Taking 
advantage  of  this  fact.  Vigilant  was  designed 
with  an  excessive  breadth  of  deck,  —  26  feet  3 
inches,  as  compared  with  24  feet  in  Colonia,  23 
feet  in  Pilgrim,  and  22  feet  6  inches  in  Jubilee, 
Following  the  fashion  of  the  old  sand-bag  racers 
in  which  Mr.  Iselin  did  his  first  yachting,  she  car- 
ried a  crew  of  seventy,  which,  lying  out  on  the 
long  lever  afforded  by  the  wide  deck,  gave  her  a 
great  advantage  over  the  lighter  crews  and  nar- 
rower decks  of  her  classmates  and  of  the  chal- 
lenger. It  may  be  said  here,  that  one  of  the 
conditions  absolutely  insisted  on  by  subsequent 
challengers  was  the  measurement  of  the  yachts 
with  the  same  number  of  persons  on  board  as 
were  regularly  carried  in  the  races,  thus  prevent- 
ing the  use  of  the  crew  as  ballast.  In  the  matter 
of  surface,  the  polished  bronze,  used  for  the  first 
time  in  yachting,  gave  her  a  great  advantage, 
especially  in  light  weather,  over  the  rough  steel 
of  the  American  boats  and  the  coppered  wooden 
bottom  of  Valkyrie  II. 


The  Dunraven  Challenges  233 

Jubilee  was  a  combination  of  fin  keel  and  cen- 
tre-board, a  ballasted  board  working  through  the 
centre  of  the  steel  fin,  which,  with  its  lead  bulb, 
drew  13  feet  9  inches.  In  addition  she  had  a 
smaller  centre-board  in  the  bow,  to  be  used  if 
required.  Her  sail  plan  was  crude,  with  the 
mast  stepped  too  far  aft  and  very  faulty  details, 
including  blocks  of  aluminum,  which  proved 
weak  and  useless.  Skippered  by  John  Barr,  she 
gave  occasional  evidences  of  speed,  but  on  the 
whole  was  a  failure. 

Pilgrim  was  an  extreme  fin,  with  less  depth  of 
body  than  Jubilee,  finer  fore-and-aft  lines,  and  a 
draft  of  22  feet  6  inches  to  the  bottom  of  her 
bulb.  She  possessed  in  an  exaggerated  degree 
the  initial  faults  of  the  type,  steering  very  badly, 
and  being  at  times  absolutely  unmanageable. 
Her  skipper,  "  Dicky  "  Sherlock,  was  a  very  able 
racing  man,  and  she  had  a  good  crew,  among  her 
Corinthians  being  Mr.  Stewart,  her  designer,  and 
Messrs.  Adams ;  but  she  was  a  failure.  After  the 
races  she  was  sold,  her  fin  removed,  and  with 
other  changes  she  was  converted  into  a  very 
good  steam  yacht. 

Valkyrie  II  was  a  keel  cutter  of  composite 
construction,  4  inches  longer  on  the  water-line 


234  American  Yachting 

than  Vigilant,  4  feet  narrower,  and  drawing 
but  3  feet  more  to  the  bottom  of  her  keel, 
taking  no  account  of  Vigilant's  centre-board, 
which  dropped  to  about  22  feet.  Her  sail  area 
was  10,042  square  feet  as  compared  with  11,272 
of  Vigilant  Her  skipper.  Captain  William  Cran- 
field,  stood  very  high  in  his  class  in  England,  and 
did  some  clever  work  in  the  Cup  races  in  starting 
and  manoeuvring;  but  on  the  whole  both  skip- 
per and  crew  were  greatly  outclassed  by  the 
defenders. 

The  first  attempt  at  a  race,  on  October  5,  failed 
for  lack  of  wind;  on  October  7,  in  a  light  and 
rather  fluky  breeze,  Vigilant  won  by  5  minutes 
48  seconds,  corrected  time.  Two  days  later,  over 
the  30-mile  triangle,  in  a  stronger  breeze  and 
smooth  water,  the  wind  freshening  considerably 
during  the  race,  Vigila^it  won  by  10  minutes  35 
seconds,  corrected  time,  though  she  sprung  her 
bowsprit  on  the  second  leg.  Another  attempt 
failed  for  lack  of  wind,  but  on  October  13  there 
was  a  strong  easterly  breeze  and  a  rising  sea  out- 
side the  Hook,  while  the  weather  predictions  gave 
warning  of  a  heavy  gale  moving  rapidly  up  the 
coast.  This  prediction  was  not  verified,  but  the 
breeze  freshened  all  day,  blowing  very  hard  toward 


The  Dunraven  Challenges  235 

the  end  of  the  race,  though  it  fell  at  night.  Val- 
kyrie had  increased  her  ballast  on  October  10, 
making  her  water-line  85.96  feet.  Both  started 
with  jib-headed  topsails  over  reefed  mainsails,  Val- 
kyries reef  being  a  small  one.  The  course  was 
fifteen  miles  to  windward ;  and  after  two  hours  of 
hard  sailing,  in  which  Valkyrie  was  very  skilfully 
handled,  she  led  around  the  outer  mark  by  two 
minutes.  In  setting  her  spinnaker  after  the  Eng- 
lish fashion,  the  sail  in  a  loose  bunch  being 
hoisted  from  below  deck  and  sheeted  home  as 
quickly  as  possible,  it  caught  on  the  bitts  and  was 
torn  a  little.  Running  in  a  sea  and  heavy  wind 
this  tear  soon  increased  until  the  sail  went  into 
tatters.  Another,  a  large  and  beautiful  sail  of 
light  fabric,  w^as  set  in  its  place,  the  work  being 
done  very  smartly,  but  it  was  too  light  for  such 
a  breeze,  and  it  soon  went  to  pieces.  Nothing 
daunted,  the  "  bowsprit  spinnaker,"  corresponding 
to  the  American  balloon  jib-topsail  but  smaller, 
was  set  as  the  last  resort. 

On  board  Valkyrie  no  attempt  was  made  to 
shake  out  the  reef  in  the  mainsail  or  to  shift  top- 
sails ;  but  as  soon  as  Vigilant  was  off  the  wind, 
and  her  spinnaker,  sent  up  in  stops  in  a  long,  com- 
pact  rope,  was  broken  out  and  sheeted   home, 


236  American  Yachting 

the  real  work  of  the  day  began.  Her  balloon  jib- 
topsail  fouled  in  hoisting,  and  a  man  was  sent  to 
the  topmast-head,  and  thence  halfway  down  the 
topmast-stay,  to  clear  the  sail.  After  this  was 
done  a  man  was  sent  out  along  the  boom,  with  a 
life-line  from  the  masthead  about  his  body,  cut- 
ting the  reef -points  as  he  went ;  meanwhile  a  man 
at  the  topmast-head  was  lashing  the  working  top- 
sail, clearing  the  topsail-halyard  and  sending  it 
down  to  the  deck,  while  another  man  at  the  gaff 
end  was  doing  the  same  with  the  topsail  sheet. 
With  the  working  topsail  still  in  place,  the  whole 
mainsail  was  shaken  out,  the  halyards  sweated  up, 
and  the  small  club-topsail  was  sent  aloft.  By 
dint  of  this  work,  such  as  was  never  before  wit- 
nessed in  yachting,  at  the  imminent  danger  of 
losing  the  mast  and  the  race,  Vigilant  sailed  past 
Valkyrie  near  the  finish  line  and  led  her  across 
by  over  two  minutes,  finally  winning  by  forty 
seconds,  corrected  time. 

By  special  agreement,  at  the  request  of  Lord 
Dunraven,  the  one-gun  start  was  adopted  for 
these  races,  according  to  the  universal  custom  in 
Great  Britain,  and  what  had  then  become  an 
almost  universal  custom  in  this  country.  Vigi- 
lant was  steered  during  a  great  part  of  the  time 


The  Dunraven  Challenges  237 

by  N.  G.  Herreshoff  himself,  —  something  rather 
exceptional  in  Cup  racing. 

Undaunted  by  this  defeat,  Lord  Dunraven  chal- 
lenged again  in  December  1894,  and  another  match 
was  made  on  much  the  same  terms,  except  that 
the  New  York  Yacht  Club  positively  declined  to 
repeat  the  one-gun  start,  standing  out  for  an  inter- 
val of  two  minutes  during  which  the  yachts  might 
cross,  their  true  time  of   crossing  being  taken. 

Early  in  1894  Vigilant  was  sold  to  George  J. 
and  Howard  Gould,  and  with  Captain  Haff  in 
command  she  was  sent  across  the  ocean,  Mr. 
Herreshoff  joining  her  on  the  Clyde  and  sailing 
in  some  of  the  races.  One  of  the  most  important 
events  of  the  year  was  the  sinking  of  Valkyrie  II 
in  a  collision  with  Satanita  in  the  first  race  of  the 
90-foot  class  on  the  Clyde,  thus  preventing  any 
trial  of  the  old  opponents  under  British  condi- 
tions. There  was,  however,  the  sister  cutter, 
Britannia,  owned  by  the  Prince  of  Wales  and 
commanded  by  Captain  John  Carter  of-  Genes ta  ; 
the  Fife  cutter  Calluna ;  and  the  Soper  cutter 
Satania,  —  all  of  Vigilant' s  class.  Britannia  has 
proved,  on  the  whole,  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  notable  yachts  in  British  history,  but  the 
other  two  were  virtually  failures. 


238  American  Yachting 

Vigilant  had  been  improved  by  alterations  to 
her  rig  and  ballast,  and  she  was  in  competent 
hands,  but  in  seventeen  races  with  Britannia  the 
latter  won  twelve  times.  Vigilant  was  the  faster 
through  the  water  in  a  strong  breeze,  but  she  was 
greatly  inferior  in  manoeuvring  power  and  quick- 
ness of  turning. 

The  result  of  this  racing  was  seen  in  the  next 
Cup  contestants,  —  the  challenger,  Valkyrie  III, 
designed  by  Watson,  and  the  defender,  Defender, 
designed  and  built  by  the  Herreshoffs.  Valky- 
rie III,  owned  by  Lord  Dun  raven,  Lord  Lons- 
dale, Lord  Wolverton,  and  Captain  H.  Le  B. 
McCalmont,  was  given  a  breadth  of  26  feet  2 
inches  on  a  water-line  of  Z^  feet  10  inches,  with 
a  draft  of  20  feet.  With  increased  draft  her 
keel  was  longer  and  straighter  than  that  of  her 
predecessor,  giving  increased  lateral  plane  for  the 
added  power,  and  also  lowering  the  ballast,  to  the 
same  end.  She  was  virtually  a  wide,  saucer- 
shaped  body  with  a  deep  fin,  following  the  gen- 
eral idea  of  Vigilant,  the  design  being  excellently 
adapted  to  the  average  conditions  of  match  racing 
outside  Sandy  Hook.  She  was  of  composite  con- 
struction, but  the  wood  planking  was  not  cop- 
pered, being  coated  with  a  preparation  of  tar, 
giving  a  smooth,  hard  surface. 


The  Dunraven  Challenges  239 

In  Defender  Mr.  Herreshoff  abandoned  all  sug- 
gestion of  Vigilant,  making  her  a  keel  cutter  of 
very  moderate  breadth,  but  23  feet,  on  a  water- 
line  of  88  feet  5 J  inches.  Her  draft  was  19  feet, 
or  5  feet  more  than  the  keel  Colonia,  and  her 
keel  was  shorter  and  more  rockered,  following  the 
example  of  Britannia,  with  a  view  to  much 
quicker  manoeuvring  than  was  possible  with 
Vigilant,  Her  construction  was  still  more  elabo- 
rate than  that  of  Vigilant :  steel  frames  were  used 
for  the  main  members,  with  manganese  bronze  — 
another  expensive  alloy  —  for  the  bottom  plating ; 
but  the  deck  beams,  straps,  and  much  of  the  inte- 
rior bracing,  with  all  the  plating  of  the  topsides, 
were  of  aluminum,  the  first  use  of  this  new  metal 
in  a  yacht  of  any  size.  The  sail  area  was  13,500 
square  feet,  or  400  square  feet  less  than  that  of 
Valkyrie  III, 

Vigilant  was  further  altered  and  refitted  by 
George  J.  Gould,  and  with  Captain  Charles  Barr 
at  the  wheel,  sailed  against  Defender  through  the 
season,  the  latter  handled  by  Mr.  Iselin,  who  joined 
with  W.  K.  Vanderbilt  and  E.  D.  Morgan  in  build- 
ing her,  with  Captain  "  Hank  "  Haff  as  skipper. 
There  was  much  friction  and  ill-feeling  between 
the  two  parties,  and  protests  were  frequent.     In 


240  American  Yachting 

the  trial  races  Defender  developed  serious  struc- 
tural defects,  in  particular  about  the  mast  step, 
which  at  one  time  was  in  danger  of  going 
through  the  bottom  of  the  boat ;  but  these  were 
successfully  remedied,  and  she  was  selected  to 
defend  the  Cup. 

The  first  race,  fifteen  miles  to  windward  and 
return,  was  sailed  under  conditions  which  of  old 
would  have  insured  the  victory  of  the  cutter 
against  the  sloop,  —  an  "  old  sea,"  from  the  east- 
ward, and  light  and  fluky  wind.  This  time  the 
defender  was  relatively  the  cutter,  with  her 
moderate  breadth,  comparatively  deep  body,  com- 
pact form,  and  decided  angle  of  heel ;  while  the 
challenger,  like  the  old  sloop,  was  wide  and  com- 
paratively shoal,  standing  up  straight,  and  being 
knocked  about  by  the  sea  without  wind  enough 
to  steady  her  and  put  her  to  a  good  sailing  angle. 
Under  these  discouraging  conditions,  evident 
from  the  start,  she  was  not  sailed  as  well  as 
Defender^  and  the  latter  won  by  over  seven 
minutes. 

After  the  finish  Lord  Dunraven  made  a  com- 
plaint to  the  Cup  committee  that  Defender  was 
immersed  below  the  water-line  officially  measured 
and  marked,  and  as  a  result  she  was  remeasured 


Tbe  Dimraven  Challenges  241 

and  found  to  be  of  the  correct  length.  The  matter 
was  apparently  dropped ;  but,  dissatisfied  with  the 
failure  to  investigate  the  question  of  possible  tam- 
pering with  the  ballast  between  the  two  measure- 
ments, Lord  Dunraven  renewed  his  charges  on 
his  return  to  England,  the  result  being  an  inter- 
national quarrel  of  serious  magnitude.  A  thor- 
ough investigation  of  the  whole  matter  by  the 
New  York  Yacht  Club  during  the  following 
winter.  Lord  Dunraven  visiting  New  York  to 
give  his  testimony,  failed  to  establish  any  reason- 
able ground  for  the  charges. 

This  matter  temporarily  disposed  of,  the  second 
race  was  started  on  September  10,  over  the  tri- 
angular course,  in  a  moderate  breeze  and  smooth 
water.  Within  the  last  few  seconds  before  the 
starting-gun  a  foul  occurred  between  the  two 
yachts,  Valkyrie  being  to  windward  and  her 
boom  end  catching  the  starboard  topmast-shroud 
of  Defender  and  tearing  it  from  the  broken  end 
of  the  spreader.  While  Defender  was  com- 
pelled to  luff  up,  being  handicapped  by  over  a 
minute,  Valkyrie  continued  the  race.  Under  the 
circumstances  —  Defender,  though  her  topmast 
stood,  being  crippled  for  the  day  on  starboard 
tack  —  the  race  was  most  exciting.      Valkyrie  held 


242  American  Yachting 

her  lead  over  the  course,  and  finally  won  by 
forty-seven  seconds,  corrected  time.  Sailing  the 
triangle  with  all  marks  to  port,  Defender  was  at  a 
serious  disadvantage,  not  only  on  the  first  leg  to 
windward,  but  over  the  whole  of  the  second  leg, 
ten  miles  on  the  starboard  tack,  only  a  small  jib- 
topsail  being  set.  On  this  leg,  however,  her 
sheets  were  trimmed  to  much  greater  advantage, 
as  has  almost  invariably  been  the  case  on  the 
defending  yachts  in  reaching  in  the  Cup  races  of 
modern  days. 

A  protest  on  the  part  of  Defender  ^z.^  sustained 
by  the  regatta  committee  after  a  hearing  of  both 
sides,  the  general  opinion  being  that  this  was  the 
correct  verdict.  The  first  cause  of  the  foul  was 
the  crowding  of  the  fleet  of  pleasure  steamers, 
notably  the  Yorktown,  a  large  coasting  steamer 
which  lay  close  to  the  course.  All  the  evidence, 
including  many  important  photographs,  showed 
that  Valkyrie  took  the  active  part  in  the  prelimi- 
nary manoeuvres,  chasing  Defender  around  the 
Yorktown ;  and,  as  the  two  came  within  view  of 
the  line,  finding  herself  in  a  very  limited  space 
between  Defender  to  leeward  and  the  commit- 
tee boat  to  windward,  with  more  time  than 
she  wanted,  she  bore  away,  Defender  meanwhile 


The  Dunraven  Challenges  243 

holding  her  course  on  the  wind ;  and  as  she  came 
dangerously  close  to  Defender,  she  luffed  quickly. 
The  justice  of  this  decision  has  been  very  gener- 
ally accepted  by  yachtsmen. 

In  the  writer's  opinion  the  accident  was  due 
to  the  fact  that  Captain  Sycamore,  a  very  able 
British  skipper  who  came  out  to  steer  the  yacht, 
under  Captain  Cranfield,  had  for  several  seasons 
sailed  Corsair  and  Vendetta,  —  40-raters  similar 
to  Queen  Mad,  both  with  small  sail  plans,  but 
4000  square  feet  on  60  feet  of  water-line,  or  about 
the  same  as  Wasp  on  46  feet.  In  these  boats  the 
boom  extended  but  a  short  distance  over  the 
counter,  and  they  could  be  manoeuvred  safely 
in  very  close  quarters.  With  a  boom  of  105  feet, 
or  nearly  120  per  cent  of  her  water-line  length, 
extending  far  outside  of  her  long  counter,  Valky- 
rie III  required  a  much  greater  space  for  manoeu- 
vring. Captain  Sycamore  had  sailed  the  yacht 
only  three  or  four  times  in  competition  with  other 
vessels,  and  in  the  excitement  of  the  close  start 
he  failed  to  realize  that  a  manoeuvre  which  would 
be  perfectly  safe  in  a  fleet  of  40-raters  was 
extremely  dangerous  when  two  Cup  yachts  of 
unlimited  sail  area  were  involved. 

Mr.  Iselin  personally  offered  on  behalf  of  De- 


244  American  Yachting 

fenders  owners  to  call  the  race  off  and  resail  it ; 
but  to  this  Lord  Dunraven  would  not  consent, 
apparently  accepting  the  decision  of  the  com- 
mittee awarding  the  second  race  to  Defender, 
Immediately  after  the  finish  of  this  race  he  had 
written  to  the  committee  declining  to  start  again 
unless  a  perfectly  clear  course  could  be  had ;  but 
after  two  days  of  negotiation  the  third  race  was 
started  on  September  12.  The  day  was  clear, 
with  a  smooth  sea  and  a  good  breeze,  the  normal 
conditions  for  which  Valkyrie  had  been  designed, 
this  being  the  best  opportunity  thus  far  afforded 
to  show  her  speed.  So  much  had  been  said  and 
printed  about  the  obstruction  on  the  part  of  the 
attendant  fleet  that  all  vessels  were  at  a  distance 
from  the  starting-line.  The  two  yachts  came  out 
as  usual,  with  everything  in  readiness  for  the 
start  Defender  crossed  the  line  on  the  gun, 
Valkyrie  following  slowly.  When  clear  of  the 
line  the  latter  turned,  her  racing  flag  was  hauled 
down  and  the  burgee  of  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club,  of  which  Lord  Dunraven  was  an  honorary 
member,  was  set  in  its  place,  and  she  headed  for 
New  York,  leaving  Defender  to  sail  the  course 
alone,  thus  completing  the  series  of  three  wins. 
After  his  return  to  England,  Lord  Dunraven 


The  Dunraven  Challenges  245 

issued  a  pamphlet  with  his  report  of  the  match, 
in  which  he  charged  that  Defender  was  ballasted 
below  her  measured  water-line  in  the  race  of 
September  7.  As  soon  as  these  charges  were 
known  in  New  York,  Mr.  Iselin  wrote  to  the 
club  demanding  a  full  investigation.  A  meeting 
was  immediately  held,  and  Commodore  Edward 
M.  Brown  appointed  as  a  special  committee 
Messrs.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  William  C.  Whitney, 
and  George  L.  Rives.  This  committee,  acting 
under  the  liberal  power  intrusted  to  it,  invited 
the  aid  of  Captain  Alfred  T.  Mahan,  U.S.N., 
and  Edward  J.  Phelps,  former  minister  to  Eng- 
land,—  both  men  well  known  and  highly  esteemed 
abroad. 

This  committee  of  five  instituted  a  thorough 
and  searching  inquiry,  held  at  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club  house  in  New  York,  Lord  Dunraven 
coming  over  to  give  testimony,  while  many  wit- 
nesses were  examined.  The  result  was  the  com- 
plete exoneration  of  Mr.  Iselin  and  all  connected 
with  Defender,  As  no  apology  was  offered  by 
Lord  Dunraven  after  he  had  failed  to  sustain  his 
charges,  he  was  expelled  from  the  club,  —  a  tardy 
resignation  reaching  New  York  only  after  this 
action  had  been  taken.     The  very  sensible  and 


246  American  Yachting 

businesslike  action  of  Commodore  Brown,  in 
furthering  a  public  investigation,  and  the  high 
character  of  the  men  chosen  by  him  to  conduct  it, 
resulted  in  permanently  settling  what  might  have 
been  a  serious  international  misunderstanding. 

The  action  of  Lord  Dunraven  in  issuing  his 
pamphlet  was  never  indorsed  by  British  yachts- 
men, nor  have  they  ever  indicated  their  pride 
in  him  as  a  representative  of  British  sporting 
usage.  If  report  be  true,  his  abrupt  withdrawal 
from  international  racing  was  but  a  repetition  of 
his  previous  leave-taking  of  journalism  and  later 
of  politics.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  he  was  the 
first  challenger  who  was  ever  permitted  to  make 
a  match  by  mutual  agreement  on  terms  perfectly 
fair  to  both  parties,  obtaining  freely  much  more 
than  had  been  refused  to  such  good  sportsmen  as 
Sir  Richard  Sutton  and  Lieutenant  Henn. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


SMALL  YACHTING  AND  THE  SEAWANHAKA  CUP 


Spruce  IV. 

First  challenger  for  the  Seawanhaka 
Cup,  1895. 


It  is  possible  to  fix 
with  approximate  accu- 
racy the  origin  of  yachts 
of  large  size  and  of 
yacht  racing,  but  it  is 
impossible  to  trace  back 
the  similar  stage  of  devel- 
opment in  small  yachts 
and  sailing  boats.  In 
the  early  days  the  row- 
boat  and  small  sail-boat 
were  the  universal  vehicles  of  ferriage  and  water 
transit  over  short  routes,  as  that  over  the  Dela- 
ware River  at  Philadelphia  and  Trenton,  the 
Hudson  and  East  rivers  at  New  York,  and 
about  the  harbor  of  New  York.  The  hand- 
somely modelled  "Whitehall  boat,"  a  few  sur- 
vivors of  which  may  still  be  seen  about  the 
Battery  or  in  use  by  water-side  gentlemen  whose 
exact  avocations  will  not  bear  too  close  a  scrutiny, 

247 


248  American  Yachting 

at  one  time  carried  the  beginning  of  that  traffic 
which  now  crowds  three  great  bridges  and  a 
fleet  of  ferry-boats ;  and  in  addition  it  was  the  com- 
mon means  of  communication  between  the  ship- 
ping of  New  York  and  the  shore.  Speed,  under 
oars  or  the  simple  spritsail  whose  mast  could  be 
shipped  or  unshipped  in  a  moment,  was  prized  alike 
by  the  rival  ferrymen,  the  boarding-house  runners, 
and  the  thieves  of  the  water  front,  as  well  as  by 
their  pursuers ;  and  there  were  many  close  races 
in  which  no  starts  were  timed  and  no  money 
prizes  awarded.  On  the  longer  routes,  the  regu- 
lar ferries  to  Staten  Island,  and  the  points  on 
Staten  Island  Sound  where  the  stage  routes 
began,  the  sail  was  used  in  preference  to  the 
sweep  in  the  pirogues,  or  periaguas;  and  here, 
again,  competition  was  an  element  of  business 
success. 

There  are  no  records  of  the  date  at  which  men 
first  found  leisure  to  neglect  the  calls  of  business 
and  sail  solely  for  pleasure ;  but  we  have  already 
seen  that  in  the  early  fifties  the  pleasure  cat-boat 
was  not  only  an  established  institution  about 
New  York,  and  Boston  as  well,  but  it  had  made 
its  way  across  the  Atlantic.  For  many  years  after 
it  held  the  field  without  a  rival,  merely  varying  in 


Seawanhaka  International  Challenge  Trophy  for  Small  Yachts,   1895. 


Small  Yachting 


^51 


detail  of  model  in  different  localities,  according  to 
the  conditions  of  its  environment.  On  the  Dela- 
ware River,  at  and  about  Philadelphia,  it  took  a 
most  dangerous  and  vicious  form  in  the  "  hiker," 
extremely  wide  and  shoal  and  with  an  enormous 
rig ;  about  New  York  the  popular  model  was  but 
little  better,  though  exposed  to  rougher  water  on 
the  Bay  and  Long 
Island  Sound.  The 
only  ballast  used  was 
sand  in  bags,  these 
being  piled  high  on 
the  weather  side  when 
on  the  wind,  and 
shifted  as  promptly  as 
possible  on  each  tack ; 
their  effect  in  giving 
stability  was  increased 
by  the  numerous  crew,  also  to  windward. 

The  racing  of  these  boats  was  popular  on  all  the 
waters  within  fifty  miles  of  New  York,  matches 
being  made  for  large  purses,  while  the  more 
noted  skippers  were  highly  esteemed  by  their 
respective  partisans.  Though  the  same  type  of 
boat  prevailed  in  the  races  about  Boston,  there 
were  many  of  much  superior  model,  with  increased 


Open  "  Jib-and-mainsail  Boat,"  with 
Crew  and  Sandbags  to  Windward. 

New  York.  1850  to  1885. 


252  American  Yachting 

draft  of  hull  and  freeboard ;  and  farther  south  on 
Cape  Cod,  where  the  boats  were  used  for  fishing 
and  lobstering,  often  on  the  open  sea,  were  found 
the  finest  of  the  "  cat  "  family.  The  rig  of  these 
craft  was  most  commonly  that  from  which  the 
type  took  its  name,  —  the  "  cat  "  mainsail  with  no 
jib,  —  but  it  was  a  common  thing  to  shift  the  mast 
aft,  in  an  extra  step,  shipping  a  bowsprit  and  set- 
ting a  jib.  Many  boats  were  regularly  equipped 
with  this  double  rig,  sailing  as  cat-boats  or  "jib- 
and-mainsail  boats  "  according  to  the  entries  and 
prizes  in  some  particular  race. 

The  first  rival  of  the  cat-boat  was  the  canoe, 
introduced  from  England  to  America  on  the 
formation  of  the  New  York  Canoe  Club  in  1871 ; 
prior  to  this  time  the  ambitious  tyro  who  sought 
to  fit  himself  for  racing  in  decked  yachts,  or  who 
aimed  at  distinction  as  a  single-hand  cruiser,  had 
no  choice  save  the  unhandy  and  dangerous  cat- 
boat  or  the  Whitehall  boat  with  oars  and  a  sail. 
From  its  first  introduction  canoeing  proved  popu- 
lar in  the  extreme,  enlisting  among  its  votaries 
many  young  men  who  have  since  been  famous  in 
yachting.  In  the  sailing  canoe  as  it  then  was, 
and  as  it  continued  to  be  for  about  fifteen  years, 
a  man  could  cruise  to  a  certain  rendezvous  under 


h 


Small  Yachting 


253 


sail  or  paddle,  according  to  the  weather,  carrying 
his  stores,  tent,  and  bedding ;  stripping  his  boat, 
he  could  enter  in  both  sailing  and  paddling  races. 


Ethelwynn. 
Sail  plan. 

and   after  the   meet  was   over  he   could   cruise 
home. 

In  the  early  eighties,  as  a  result  of  the  larger 
cutter  agitation,  there  came  into  use  about  New 
York  many  small  cruisers,  in  length  from  fourteen 
feet  water-line  upward,  of  the  cutter  type,  some 


254  American  Yachting 

very  narrow  but  most  of  fairly  large  breadth.  In 
Boston  the  small  keel  sloop  could  claim  a  still 
earlier  development.  From  this  time  on  the 
development  of  the  small  yacht  followed  closely 
that  of  the  large.  Mr.  Burgess  designed  many 
small  cutters  and  deep  centre-board  boats,  and  a 
little  later  the  fin-keel  type  was  first  exploited 
in  the  very  small  classes  before  extending  to  the 
larger.  One  notably  successful  racing  class  for 
a  couple  of  seasons  was  the  21-foot  water-line 
class  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  formed  in  1892, 
with  a  fine  fleet  of  centre-board  sloops,  wide 
and  narrow,  with  varying  sail  spreads,  and  also 
fin  keels. 

By  this  time  the  sand-bag  cat-boat  had  virtu- 
ally disappeared  from  the  racing  in  the  East, 
the  fastest  of  the  old  champions  being  sold  to 
young  yachting  communities  on  the  small  lakes 
of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota  and  their  places 
being  taken  by  more  modern  types,  the  fin  keel 
finally  being  the  most  numerous.  The  smallest 
size  in  general  use  was  the  21 -foot  class,  next 
to  this  being  the  25-foot. 

As  an  outgrowth  and  development  of  canoe- 
ing, a  distinct  class  of  small  yachts  came  into 
general   use   in    England    late   in   the    eighties, 


Small  Yachting 


255 


increasing  very  rapidly.  The  Solent  proved  a 
healthy  nursery  for  this  infant  fleet,  and  it  in 
time  almost  rivalled  the  popularity  of  the  large 
yachts.  A  special  class  of  racing  men  came 
into  existence,  much  time  and  money  being 
devoted  to  designing,  building,  and  racing  yachts 
of  one-half,  one,  and  two 
and  one-half  rating. 

In  the  spring  of  1895 
a  member  of  the  New 
York  Canoe  Club,  Will- 
iam Willard  Howard,  a 
racing  canoeist  who  had 
visited  England  to  meet 
the  British  canoe  sail- 
ors, wrote  from  London 
to  some  of  his  fellow- 
members  in  New  York,  stating  that  J.  Arthur 
Brand,  of  the  Minima  Yacht  Club,  would  like 
to  visit  America  with  his  half-rater  Spruce  III, 
provided  any  races  could  be  arranged  with  yachts 
of  the  same  class.  At  this  time  no  boats  of 
the  kind  existed,  but  Mr.  Howard's  letter  was 
laid  before  the  Seawanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht 
Club  by  several  of  the  recipients,  who  were 
also  members  of  that  club.      The  idea  was  first 


Ethelwynn. 
First  defender  of  the  Seawanhaka  Cup. 


256  American  Yachting 

indorsed  by  the  race  committee  and  then  by 
the  club,  and  in  a  short  time  the  plans  were  defi- 
nitely formulated  for  the  establishment  of  a  per- 
manent international  challenge  cup  for  small 
yachts.  Mr.  Brand  was  notified,  and  negotia- 
tions were  made  between  the  Minima  Yacht 
Club,  of  London,  and  the  Seawanhaka  Corinthian 
Yacht  Club  for  a  series  of  three  out  of  five  races, 
to  be  sailed  in  September  on  Long  Island  Sound, 
off  the  club  station  at  Oyster  Bay;  the  courses 
to  be  alternately  windward  and  leeward  and  tri- 
angular, of  twelve  nautical  miles.  The  sum  of 
;^500  was  quickly  subscribed  for  the  cup,  —  a  very 
handsome  piece  of  silver,  —  and  then  the  club  had 
to  consider  the  question  of  its  defence. 

The  half-rater  class,  by  the  rating  rule  then  in 
existence  (length  multiplied  by  sail  area  and  the 
product  divided  by  6000),  included  small  yachts, 
largely  fin  keels,  of  15  feet  water-line  and  200 
square  feet  of  sail.  No  such  class  was  known  in 
America,  the  nearest  approach  being  some  small 
fin-keel  cruising  boats  designed  for  canoeists ;  but 
to  meet  the  foreign  visitor  six  yachts  were  spe- 
cially designed  and  built,  Ethelwynn,  Trilby,  Olita, 
Question,  F,  &  R.,  and  L'Indienne,  —  a  seventh. 
Trust  Me,  entering  with  these  in  the  trial  races. 


Small  Yachting 


257 


Olita  (centre-board)  and  Trust  Me  (fin  keel)  were 
designed  and  built  by  the  Herreshoffs,  —  the  most 
costly  of  the  fleet ;  but  they  proved  failures  in  the 
trial  races.  The  boat  finally  selected,  Ethelwynn, 
was  designed  by  W.  P.  Stephens,  of  the  Seawan- 
haka  Corinthian  Yacht  Club  and  the  New  York 
Canoe  Club,  a  shoal  centre-board  boat  of  the  type 


Ethelwynn. 


introduced  several  years  before  in  England  by 
Linton  Hope,  but  adapted  to  the  different  rule 
and  local  conditions;  the. races  being  in  the  15- 
foot  class  under  the  Seawanahaka  rule,  —  the 
length  (15  feet)  added  to  the  square  root  of 
the  sail  area  (225  square  feet)  and  divided  by  2, 
giving  the  measurement. 

Ethelwynn  was  hastily  designed  and  built,  and 
but  little  time  remained  for  preparation  before  the 
trial  races ;  but  she  proved  easily  the  best  all-round 
boat,  and  there  was  no  question  as  to  the  pro- 


258  American  Yachting 

priety  of  her  selection.  She  met  Spruce  IV,  a 
new  boat  specially  built  for  the  match — at  the  end 
of  September,  after  the  Valkyrie-Defender  match; 
and  after  a  prolonged  series  of  trials  lasting  for  a 


Glencaim  I. 
Sail  plan. 

whole  week,  she  won  three  races  to  two  of  Spruce, 
thus  retaining  the  cup.  The  last  race  had  hardly 
finished  when  a  telegram  was  received  at  Oyster 
Bay  from  the  Royal  St.  Lawrence  Yacht  Club  of 
Montreal,  Canada,  announcing  that  club's  wish  to 


Small  Yachting  259 

challenge  for  the  cup ;  and  as  this  was  confirmed 
by  letter,  the  arrangements  were  soon  made  for  a 
match  in  1896. 

The  half -rater,  or  15-footer, — the  terms  being  al- 
most synonymous, — was  unknown  in  Canada ;  but 
the  club,  its  challenge  being  accepted,  went  bravely 
to  work  to  provide  a  fleet  Most  of  the  new 
yachts  were  designed  by  two  amateurs,  G.  Her- 
rick  Duggan  and  F.  P.  Shearwood,  old  canoeists 
and  yachtsmen,  engineers  by  profession,  associated 
with  the  Dominion  Bridge  Company.  About  six- 
teen boats  were  built  during  the  winter  and  tried 
during  the  early  spring  and  summer,  the  best  of 
them  —  Mr.  Duggan 's  Glencairn,  sailed  by  himself 
and  Mr.  Shearwood  —  being  selected  as  the  chal- 
lenger. The  defence  was  equally  busy,  and 
twenty-seven  boats,  nearly  all  of  them  specially 
built  for  the  purpose,  started  in  the  first  trial  race 
at  Oyster  Bay. 

The  winning  boat.  El  Heirie,  was  designed  by 
a  young  amateur,  who  also  sailed  her,  —  Clinton 
H.  Crane.  Like  most  of  her  class,  she  had  nearly 
1 5  feet  of  water-line  length,  with  a  little  over  200 
square  feet  of  sail ;  but  the  challenger  was  of  very 
different  form,  of  greater  breadth,  with  about  the 
same  over-all  length,  but  with  a  water-line  which 


26o 


American  Yachting 


measured  but  12  feet  6  inches,  thus  allowing  her 
under  the  rule  to  carry  nearly  300  square  feet  of 
sail.  There  was  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  the 
defenders  as  to  which  of  the  two  would  win ;  but 
after  races  in  both  light  and  heavy  weather,  one 
in  a  thunder   squall,   Glencairn  proved  her  all- 


1 

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Glencairn  L 

round  superiority  and  carried  the  cup  away  with 
her  to  Canada. 

One  of  the  trial  boats  of  1895,  Q'^^stion,  de- 
signed and  built  by  L.  D.  Huntington,  Jr.,  of  New 
Rochelle  on  the  Sound,  was  of  most  peculiar 
form,  somewhat  similar  to  the  New  Haven 
sharpie,  with  flat  bottom  and  flat  sides  meeting 
at  almost  a  right  angle.  Though  roughly  and 
heavily  built,  and  slow  in  light  weather,  with  a 
strong  breeze  and  sea  she  was  easily  the  fastest 
of  the  fleet.      Her  all-round  performance  in  the 


Small  Yachting 


261 


trial  races  was  not  notable,  but  at  times,  when  all 
conditions  fitted  her,  she  was  remarkably  fast. 
During  the  winter  the  question  of  her  peculiar 
design  and  its  good  and  bad  qualities  was  very 
thoroughly  discussed  in  one  of  the  yachting 
journals ;  and  in  following  up  the  investigation 
thus  started,  Messrs.  Duggan  and  Shearwood 
were  led  to  a  departure  quite  as  radical  as  that 
in  Gloriana  a  few  years  before. 

In  studying  the  common  bateau  form,  with  flat 
floor  and  sides  and  square  bilges,  it  became  evi- 
dent that  with  a  rock- 
ered  floor  the  length  on 
the  water-line  might  be 
made  very  short;  but 
if  the  boat,  by  means 
of  movable  ballast,  were 
inclined  until  only  one 
edge  was  in  the  water, 
she  would  have  a  greatly 
increased  water-line  and 
decreased     breadth, 

being,  in  fact,  instead  of  a  wide,  square  box  a 
long,  narrow  canoe.  The  problem  then  was, 
as  all  shifting  of  dead  weight  was  prohibited, 
to  produce  a  form  with  a  very  short  measured 


-TC.SchtW- 


~^^-. 


Clencaim  I. 


262  American  Yachting 

water-line  when  upright  and  in  normal  trim,  but 
which  could  be  heeled  and  held  safely  and  stead- 
ily at  a  much  greater  angle  than  was  desirable 
in  the  case  of  the  normal  type  of  yacht. 

The  publicity  given  to  the  discussion  of  Ques- 
tion led  others  to  attempt  the  same  problem.  A 
number  of  extreme  scows,  as  they  were  soon  called, 
were  among  the  trial  fleet  of  the  defence,  and  the 
successful  El Heirie^N2i%h\y^.i  upon  the  same  prin- 
ciple ;  but  the  results  accomplished  by  Messrs. 
Duggan  and  Shearwood  were  far  ahead  of  all 
others.  With  comparatively  curved  and  yacht- 
like lines  and  a  general  form  that  was  in  no  way 
freakish  or  clumsy,  Glencairn  had  the  minimum 
of  measured  water-line  and  the  maximum  of  effec- 
tive length  when  heeled  by  her  crew ;  she  was  fast 
both  on  the  wind  and  free  (a  weak  point  with 
many  of  the  scows)  in  light  weather,  and  she  was 
very  able  in  a  blow. 

The  third  match  for  the  cup  took  place  in  1897 
on  Lake  St.  Louis,  the  challenger  being  the 
Seawanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht  Club,  represented 
by  Mr.  Crane  in  a  new  yacht,  Momo,  of  his  own 
design ;  while  Messrs.  Duggan  and  Shearwood 
defended  the  cup  in  Glejicairn  II,  winning  very 
easily.     Momo  was  an  improvement  on  El  Heirie, 


Small  YacJjting  263 

in  the  direction  indicated  by  Glencair^t  /,  but 
like  her  older  sister  she  lacked  freeboard  and 
power,  and  though  fast  in  light  weather,  was 
easily  beaten  in  any  force  of  wind.  Again  in 
1898  Mr.  Crane  returned  with  a  new  boat,  Chal- 
le7iger,  very  similar  to  Gleiicairn  II,  only  to  find 
that  his  opponents  had  developed  the  initial  idea 
of  effective  length  though  heeling  to  a  far  greater 
extreme,  in  a  new  boat.  Dominion, 

By  this  time  both  parties  had  departed  from 
all  semblance  of  yacht  form  and  traditional  prin- 
ciples of  designing,  and  it  was  merely  a  question 
of  which  could  evade  the  Seawanhaka  rule  in  the 
most  flagrant  manner.  Some  of  Mr.  Crane's  boats 
were  round  in  the  bows  like  a  ferry-boat,  and  the 
trial  races  of  the  Seawanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht 
Club  brought  together  the  most  grotesque  collec- 
tion of  craft  ever  seen  in  civilized  waters,  the 
name  "  freak  "  being  one  of  the  mildest  applied  to 
them. 

Dominion,  with  a  water-line  for  measurement  of 
but  17  feet  6  inches,  was  37  feet  long  on  deck, 
and  with  sides  nearly  parallel  and  square  ends. 
When  heeled,  she  immersed  the  entire  length  of 
side;  and  to  perfect  the  immersed  form  of  this 
portion,  the  bottom  was  cut  away  in  the  centre  by 


264  American  Yachting 

a  U-shaped  hollow  from  end  to  end,  there  being 
two  distinct  hulls  under  water  united  by  a  single 
hull  above.  When  first  viewed  by  the  chal- 
lengers, she  was  pronounced  a  catamaran,  and 
objection  was  made  to  her  on  this  ground,  with 
the  statement  that  catamarans  had  been  formally 

barred  from  racing  with 
yachts  of  normal  form 
by  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club  in  1877.  A  search 
of  the  records  of  the 
K>-J/rU-\  New  York  Yacht  Club 

failed  to  establish   any 
r  ^  _  such  precedent,  nor  was 
it  proved  that  she  was 
-    really  a  catamaran,  her 
whole  form  and  struc- 
Semeviiie,  Seawanhaka  Cup       ture  being  radically  dif- 

Defender.  1901.  ^^^^^^  £^^^  ^^^  peculiar 

Typical  Duggan  20 -footer. 

Herreshoff  racmg 
machines  which  alone  made  the  name  famous. 
The  races  were  sailed.  Dominion  winning  with 
ease,  her  speed  to  windward  being  something 
wonderful.  Much  discussion  followed,  and  the 
Royal  St.  Lawrence  Yacht  Club  abandoned  the 
type,  confining  itself  in  the  future  to  the  general 


Small  Yachting  265 

type  of  Glencairn  /and  Glencairn  II ;  but  many 
other  double-hulled  boats  similar  to  Dommion 
have  since  been  built  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States  and  freely  admitted  to  races. 

In  1899  Mr.  Crane  came  for  a  third  attempt 
with  a  new  boat,  Constance,  but  she  in  turn  was 
beaten  by  Glencairn  III,  the  match  ending  in  a 
serious  dispute,  —  the  final  one  of  many  between 
the  two  clubs.  Since  then  the  cup  has  been  suc- 
cessfully defended  against  challengers  from  Eng- 
land, from  the  West,  and  from  New  York  and 
Boston,  many  types  of  freak  racing  machines  hav- 
ing visited  Lake  St.  Louis  only  to  meet  defeat  at 
the  hands  of  Mr.  Duggan  and  his  able  associates. 

The  interest  in  the  first  match  for  the  Seawan- 
haka  cup  was  by  no  means  local,  but  extended 
throughout  the  country ;  and  with  the  publication 
of  the  news  of  the  trial  and  Cup  races,  of  the  de- 
scriptions and  lines  of  the  new  class,  and  the 
discussion  of  Question  and  her  performances, 
yachtsmen  in  remote  localities  were  led  to  build 
similar  boats.  The  fact  that  an  important  inter- 
national match  was  being  contested  by  yachts 
costing  but  ^600,  small  enough  to  be  transported 
on  an  ordinary  wagon,  and  drawing  but  six  inches 
of  water,  or  four  feet  with  the  centre-board  down. 


266  American  Yacbting 

of  itself  suggested  the  introduction  of  the  type  on 
many  small  and  remote  inland  lakes  where  yacht- 
ing had  been  unknown.  The  class  was  taken  up 
with  much  enthusiasm  in  the  Middle  West,  where 
the  racing  thus  far  had  been  confined  to  a  few 
localities  and  to  the  old  type  of  sand-bag  boats 
purchased  in  the  East.  New  clubs  were  formed, 
new  men  came  into  the  racing  ranks,  and  new 
boats  without  number  were  built.  Many  of  these 
were  designed  by  local  amateurs,  while  the  lead- 
ing English  and  American  designers  were  called 
on  for  others. 

This  type  of  racing  boat,  the  only  one  possible 
on  many  small  bodies  of  water,  has  proved  per- 
manently popular,  and  a  strong  and  vigorous 
yachting  system,  including  many  clubs,  now  exists 
in  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  and  Minnesota.  It  is  no 
longer  the  fashion  to  come  East  for  new  ideas, 
but  the  Western  racing  men,  amateur  and  pro- 
fessional together,  have  evolved  distinct  types  and 
methods  of  construction  of  their  own.  The  small 
size  of  the  boats  makes  it  easily  possible  to  trans- 
port them  by  wagon  from  one  lake  to  another  for 
local  matches,  or  to  ship  by  rail,  as  has  fre- 
quently been  done,  for  races  about  New  York  or 
Montreal. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

THE    SCOW   TYPE    IN    DESIGNING 

Ethelwynn  was  of  a  general  type  common  to 
all  periods  of  yacht  building,  and  to  which  even 
Gloriana,  with  her  many  radical  features,  be- 
longed. The  main  characteristic  of  this  type  is 
a  midship  section  more  or  less  of  the  V  form, 
when  closely  analyzed,  though  it  varies  between 
the  wide  extremes  of  the  centre-board  sloop  with 
flat  floor  and  round  bilge  and  the  deep  Burgess 
boats  of  S  section.  Different  as  they  were  in 
their  superficial  features  and  also  in  many  essen- 
tials, all  of  these  models  had  in  common  a  V 
form,  —  at  least  to  the  vertical  sections  of  the  fore- 
body;  and  also  to  the  horizontal  sections,  the 
load  water-line,  and  others  above  and  below  it. 
In  all  alike,  the  narrow  cutter  or  the  wide,  shoal 
skimming-dish,  the  first  principle  of  sailing  is  to 
keep  them  as  nearly  upright  as  possible.  That 
the  cutter  at  times  laid  her  sails  almost  flat  on 
the  water  was  not  intentional  with  either  designer 
or  skipper,  but  was  an  inherent  fault  of  her  design, 

267 


268 


American  Yachting 


which  was  supposed  to  be  compensated  by  advan- 
tages in  other  directions. 

In  all  of  these   yachts   the   effect  of  heeling 
was  the  same.    As  the  hull  left  the  perpendicular 


GLEN  CM  m 


Comparison  of  water-lines  of  Ethelwynn  type  and  Glencaim  type.  The  plain  black 
lines  show  the  load  water-line  planes  in  upright  position,  the  water-line  length  of 
Ethelwynn  being  1 5  feet  and  of  Glencaim  1 2  feet  6  inches.  The  shaded  portions 
show  the  load  water-line  planes  when  heeled  to  an  angle  of  about  1 5  degrees  for 
Ethelwynn  and  22  degrees  for  Glencaim.  In  Ethelwynn  the  effective  length  has 
actually  decreased  with  the  heeling,  while  the  breadth  is  nearly  the  same.  In 
Glencaim  the  effective  length  has  increased  considerably,  while  the  breadth  on  the 
water-line  has  decreased,  thus  making  of  the  immersed  portion  of  the  hull  a  long, 
narrow  canoe. 


under  the  heeling  impulse  of  the  sails,  she  im- 
mersed more  or  less  of  her  lee  bilge,  and  conse- 
quently the  axis  of  the  water-line  plane,  the 
straight  line   between  the  point  where  the  fore 


The  Scow  Type  in  Designing        269 

edge  of  the  stem  intersects  the  water  and  the 
similar  point  on  the  stern-post  or  the  ridge  of  the 
counter,  lifted  out  more  or  less  according  to 
the  model.  The  effect  of  this  was  to  shorten 
the  actual  water-line  as  the  yacht  heeled,  this 
shortening  being  very  marked  at  the  bow;  at 
the  stern,  however,  there  was  a  corresponding 
lengthening  as  the  round  of  the  quarter  became 
immersed.  In  the  cutter,  both  the  narrow  and 
wide  types,  and  in  many  other  types,  the  longest 
water-line  possible  was  that  when  the  yacht  lay 
at  anchor  in  an  upright  position,  the  length  de- 
creasing rapidly  as  she  heeled.  With  the  very 
full  water-line,  introduced  in  Gloriana  and  carried 
to  greater  extremes  in  later  yachts,  this  short- 
ening of  the  water-line  through  heeling  was  less 
pronounced,  but  still  it  existed. 

If  a  common  oblong  box,  such  as  a  cigar  box, 
be  set  afloat,  its  length  will  be  the  same  at.  all 
angles  of  heel,  being  neither  less  nor  more  than 
the  length  of  top  and  bottom.  If,  however,  the 
ends  of  this  box  be  cut  away  in  wedge-shape  from 
beneath,  the  conditions  are  entirely  changed. 
When  upright,  the  box  floats  at  a  certain  water- 
line  whose  length  is  intermediate  between  the 
length  on  the  bottom  and  the  length  on  the  top, 


270  American  Yachting 

the  breadth  on  this  water-line  being  necessarily 
the  extreme  width  of  the  box.  As  soon  as  the 
box  is  heeled,  however,  one  side  rises  and  the 
other  is  immersed,  with  a  constant  gain  of  water- 
line  length  until,  when  the  upper  edge  of  the 
immersed  side  is  level  with  the  water,  the  water- 
line  length  has  increased  to  that  of  the  top  of 
the  box.  At  the  same  time,  the  displacement 
necessarily  remaining  the  same,  the  midship  sec- 
tion has  changed  from  a  rectangle  to  a  V,  and 
the  breadth  on  the  water-line,  instead  of  being 
equal  to  the  total  breadth  of  the  box,  is  perhaps 
less  than  half.  Disregarding  that  portion  in  the 
air,  the  immersed  portion  now  has  the  form  of  a 
long,  narrow  canoe,  —  a  form  well  adapted  for 
speed  and  for  easy  performance  in  rough  water. 
As  long  as  it  rests  upright,  the  box,  with  its 
short  water-line  and  great  breadth,  is  of  a  poor 
model  for  speed;  it  has  a  maximum  of  wetted 
surface,  and  the  shoal,  flat  midship  section  permits 
it  to  make  leeway.  When  heeled,  however,  the 
proportions  and  form  are  such  as  to  give  speed, 
the  wetted  surface  is  reduced,  and  the  section, 
now  a  deep  V,  gives  good  lateral  resistance  of 
itself,  without  the  aid  of  a  centre-board.  If  the 
box  be  anchored,  being  naturally  in  the  upright 


The  Scow  Type  in  Designing         271 

position,  it  will  be  tossed  about  by  every  movement 
of  the  water,  and  its  overhanging  bow  and  stern 


c 

F.G.t. 

D 

A' 

A 

J 

^ '] 

^'\ 

A/V/ 

'/ 

./■' 

»|/:--' 

i'y 

L 

y 

r-G.2. 


d    fioS./-^ 


Fio.  1 .  — Rectangular  box,  30  inches  long,  6  inches  wide,  and  2  inches  deep,  im- 
mersed to  water-line  ahcd. 

Fig,  2.  —  Load  water  plane  of  Fig.  1 ,  when  heeled  to  angle  shown  in  Fig.  3.  Length. 
ab,  is  the  same  as  AB  (30  inches);  breadth,  AC,  in  upright  position  (6  inches) 
now  becomes  ac  (3  inches). 

Fig.  3.  —  End  view  of  box,  in  upright  and  inclined  positions. 

Fig.  4.  —  Box  with  ends  cut  away ;  the  length  on  top  is  still  30  inches,  but  the  length 
on  measured  water-line,  ah' ,  is  but  18  inches.  Load  water  plane  in  upright  posi- 
tion, a'b'c'd' ,  is  a  rectangle,  18  inches  long  and  6  inches  wide. 

Fig.  5.  —Load  water  plane  of  Fig.  4,  when  heeled  until  edge  .4 'B'  is  level  with  water ; 
the  effective  sailing  length,  A'B',  is  30  inches,  while  the  breadth  is  but  3  inches. 


will  be  hammered  as  soon  as  the  water  becomes 
a  little  rough.  When  heeled,  however,  the  new 
form  is  such  as  to  take  the  seas  very  easily. 


272  American  Yachting 

The  whole  problem  of  the  modern  racing  scow, 
which  has  vexed  the  yachting  world  since  the  ad- 
vent of  Question,  lies  in  this  simple  demonstration 
of  the  upright  and  inclined  box. 

Some  of  the  old  models,  such  as  the  sharpie 
and  the  skipjack,  or  flattie,  possess  some  of  the 
features  of  the  modern  scow,  but  these  are  purely 
accidental  and  involve  no  principle  of  design. 
Nearly  all  of  them,  however  flat  and  angular  in 
the  middle  body,  have  the  V  section  forward, 
with  a  more  or  less  sharp  forward  water-line, 
which  prevents  any  gain  in  length  as  they  heel. 
Question  embodied  some  of  the  main  points  of 
advantage  of  the  modern  scow,  but  neither  she 
nor  the  later  efforts  in  the  same  line  by  her  de- 
signer were  notably  successful. 

A  very  simple  experiment  with  a  cigar  box  and 
a  vessel  of  water,  as  just  described,  will  serve  to 
demonstrate  the  basic  principle  of  the  scow  type, 
—  the  gain  of  effective  sailing  length  and  the  im- 
provement in  form  through  heeling  to  an  abnor- 
mal angle.  The  successful  application  of  this 
general  principle  in  the  production  of  a  racing 
yacht  is  a  much  more  difficult  matter,  and  most 
attempts  have  resulted  in  failure.  There  are 
many  reasons,  both  theoretical  and  practical,  why 


The  Scow  Type  in  Designing        273 

the  plain  angular  box  form,  in  spite  of  the  great 
gain  in  length,  is  not  the  best;  but  it  is  the  one 
which,  from  the  apparent  simplicity  of  the  prob- 
lem, has  attracted  the  greatest  number  of  experi- 
menters. The  extreme  to  which  this  abnormal 
type  has  been  carried  is  seen  in  the  yachts  which 
raced  for  the  Quincy  cup  in  1 902. 

This  cup  was  established  in  1898  by  the  Quincy 
Yacht  Club,  of  Quincy,  Massachusetts,  as  a  per- 
petual challenge  cup,  open  to  yachts  of  all  organ- 
ized yacht  clubs,  regardless  of  nationality,  the  only 
limitations  being  that  the  total  weight  of  crew 
should  not  exceed  850  pounds,  and  that  the  load 
water-line,  measured  with  crew  on  board,  should 
not  exceed  2 1  feet.  It  would  be  difficult  to  frame 
a  rule  offering  greater  encouragement  to  a  t)^e 
whose  vicious  tendencies  are  recognized  by  all 
yachtsmen;  and  it  is  in  no  way  surprising  that 
while  at  the  outset  the  cup  was  contested  for  by 
yachts  of  fairly  normal  type,  in  a  very  few  years 
it  produced  such  machines  as  had  never  before 
been  equalled  in  yachting. 

The  successful  defender  of  the  cup  for  the 
Manchester  Yacht  Club  in  1902,  Outlook,  designed 
by  W.  S.  Burgess,  the  son  of  Edward  Burgess, 
was  52  feet  7  inches  in   length   on   deck,  on   a 


274 


American  Yacbting 


measured  water-line  of  20  feet  10  inches,  her 
breadth  being  16  feet  on  deck  and  13  feet  6  inches 
on  the  water-line,  with  a  depth  of  about  2  feet  and 
an  area  of  1800  square  feet  in  mainsail  and  jib. 
She,  however,  was  even  exceeded  by  another  com- 
petitor in  the  trial  races,  55  feet  on  deck,  17  feet 

in  breadth,  and  with  a 
sail  area  of  2000  square 
feet.  The  hulls  of  these 
boats  drew  but  a  few 
inches,  large  centre- 
boards and  deep  rudders 
being  necessary  to  pro- 
vide lateral  resistance 
and  steering  power. 
When  heeled  by  the 
great  area  of  sail,  or  by 
the  entire  crew  being 
placed  to  leeward  if  the  wind  was  very  light, 
they  immersed  nearly  the  entire  length  of  the 
deck  edge,  sailing  on  an  effective  water-line  of 
about  50  feet  as  compared  with  the  measured 
water-Hne  of  21  feet;  the  breadth  at  the  same 
time  being  reduced  to  about  8  feet  instead  of  16 
to  1 7  feet  when  upright. 

This  extreme  type  of  scow  has  been  developed 


Outlook. 


The  Scow  Type  in  Designing         275 

to  the  highest  point  of  perfection  on  the  small 
western  lakes,  —  notably  White  Bear  Lake,  in 
Minnesota,  where  it  has  been  tried  in  competition 
with  many  varieties  of  less  extreme  proportions 
and  form. 

The  most  successful  results  thus  far  attained 
have  been  in  the  very  large  fleet  of  small  yachts 
of  the  15-foot,  20-foot,  and  25-foot  classes  designed 
by  Messrs.  Duggan  and  Shearwood  in  conjunc- 
tion for  the  Seawanhaka  cup  contests  from  1896 
to  the  present  year.  All  of  these  were  designed 
upon  the  principles  of  the  scow,  as  described 
above,  with  a  short  measured  water-line  and  a 
material  gain  in  effective  length  when  heeled; 
but  these  principles  have  been  adapted,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  the  conventional  yacht  form,  with 
curved  lines  in  all  directions  instead  of  straight 
lines  and  positive  angles.  In  addition,  the  ex- 
treme scow  has  very  little  freeboard  and  no  sheer, 
being  merely  a  flat,  oblong  platform  aptly  de- 
scribed by  the  popular  nicknames  of  "  sidewalk  " 
and  "  barn-door."  The  Duggan  boats,  on  the  con- 
trary, are  distinguished  by  a  generous  amount  of 
freeboard  and  more  or  less  sheer.  While  the 
extreme  type  has  practically  straight,  parallel 
sides  and  square  ends,  the  Duggan  boats,  with 


276  American  Yachting 

the  exception  of  Dominion,  have  the  curved  side- 
line, the  pointed  bow,  and  the  square  transom  of 
the  normal  yacht.    While  the  flat  scow  is  intended 


Extreme  Type  of  Racing  Scow,   1900. 

and  used  exclusively  for  racing,  all  of  the  Duggan 
boats  are  fitted  with  large  cockpits,  and  are  used 
for  pleasure  sailing  quite  as  much  as  for  racing. 

The  phenomenal  speed  of  such  yachts  as 
Outlook,  which  has  excited  such  comment 
among  yachtsmen,  is  very  largely  fictitious, 
and  is  based  upon  the  assumption  that  such  a 
yacht  really  measures  but  21  feet  on  the  water- 
line.  As  a  matter  of  actual  fact,  she  only  attains 
this  speed  when,  by  expert  handling  and  the  agil- 
ity and  weight  of  her  crew,  she  can  be  balanced 
close  to  one  particular  angle,  at  which  she  be- 
comes a  canoe  of  about  50  feet  length  and  6  to 
8  feet  breadth,  with  very  fine  lines  and  an  enor- 
mous sail  plan;  that  large  portion  of   the  hull 


The  Scow  Type  in  Designing        277 

out  of  water  to  windward  being  in  itself  ballast 
in  an  advantageous  position  and  a  lever  for  the 
weight  of  the  crew. 

The  production  of  the  scow  type  was  possible 
only  through  an  open  and  palpable  evasion  of 
the  spirit  of  the  length-and-sail-area  rule  in  vogue 
in  1 895-1 896  and  for  some  years  later;  the  build- 
ing of  a  trick  hull  and  the  heeling  it,  as  de- 
scribed, being  entirely  contrary  to  the  principle 
upon  which  the  rule  was  based.  The  inevitable 
result  of  this  evasion,  if  freely  permitted,  was 
pointed  out  immediately  by  some  of  the  more 
conservative  yachtsmen ;  but  the  clubs,  one  and 
all,  refused  to  take  cognizance  of  it  by  such  a 
timely  alteration  of  the  rule  as  would  place  a 
fair  value  upon  the  length  actually  utilized  in 
sailing.  The  result  has  been  that  this  type  in 
several  more  or  less  extreme  forms  has  domi- 
nated yacht  designing  in  all  the  smaller  classes 
in  America,  and  has  also  found  its  way  into 
French  and  Italian  yachting  in  the  very  small 
classes.  Almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  its  influ- 
ence for  evil  has  been  felt  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree  in  the  large  classes,  and  even  in  cruising 
yachts. 

The  most  ambitious  attempt  at  scow  design- 


278  American  Yachting 

ing  was  that  made  in  1901  in  connection  with 
the  America  Cup  match  of  that  year,  the  yacht, 
Independence,  being  designed  by  B.  B.  Crownin- 
shield,  of  Boston,  for  T.  W.  Lawson  of  the  same 
city,  with  the  intention  of  competing  in  the  trial 
races.  Owing  to  a  dispute  between  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club  and  Mr.  Lawson,  who  was 
not  a  member  of  the  club,  the  yacht  did  not  take 
part  in  these  races ;  and  through  this  and  other 
circumstances  it  is  impossible  to  pass  a  fair  opin- 
ion upon  the  real  merits  of  her  design  as  com- 
pared with  the  more  moderate  forms  of  the 
Herreshoff  boats.  Her  dimensions  were :  length 
over  all,  140  feet  \o\  inches;  water-line,  89  feet ; 
breadth,  extreme,  24  feet;  breadth  at  water-line, 
23  feet  5  inches;  draft,  20  feet.  Being  a  radi- 
cal experiment  in  construction,  with  no  data  to 
guide  her  designer  in  a  form  which  was  inher- 
ently weak,  she  leaked  badly,  and  after  one  or 
two  experiences  in  a  sea  she  was  permanently 
damaged.  In  the  course  of  a  very  brief  and  incon- 
clusive racing  career  she  gave  evidences  of  excep- 
tional speed  at  times,  under  certain  conditions, 
and  at  the  same  time  of  the  possession  in  a 
marked  degree  of  the  defects  noticed  in  the 
smaller  scows.     Those  connected  with  her  rested 


The  Scow  Type  in  Designing        279 

firm  in  the  belief  that  her  faults  were  not  inher- 
ent to  her  type,  but  were  due  to  lack  of  experi- 
ence in  racing  machines  of  such  great  size,  and 
to  the  haste  with  which  she  was  designed  and 
built.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that,  like  most  of  her  type,  she  would 
under  the  most  favorable  conditions  prove  a 
very  uncertain  and  uneven  performer,  extremely 
fast  on  certain  courses  and  in  certain  winds,  but 
slow  under  the  average  conditions  under  which 
races  are  now  sailed.  After  being  in  commission 
just  three  months,  she  was  broken  up ;  the  experi- 
ment, including  the  incidental  expenses  of  run- 
ning, having  cost  her  owner  over  ^200,000. 

Independence  was,  of  course,  a  fin-keel  scow, 
of  a  type  which  has  become  very  common  in 
the  classes  of  decked  cabin  yachts  up  to  thirty 
feet  or  so  water-line  about  New  York  and  Boston, 
with  curved  lines  and  generally  rounded  form, 
but  embodying  the  scow  principle  as  far  as  is 
possible.  The  trend  of  all  recent  legislation  is 
toward  a  tardy  but  effectual  revision  of  the 
measurement  rule,  which  will  prohibit  the  type 
in  the  future  in  all  yachts  of  any  size. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


THE    "  ONE-DESIGN       AND    RESTRICTED    CLASSES 


Of  the  many  measure- 
ment rules  in  use  at  dif- 
ferent periods  and  in 
different  localities  in 
America,  the  "  length- 
and-sail-area "  rule,  de- 
vised by  Mr.  Hyslop, 
^  has  been  the  most 
generally  used,  and  for 
the  longest  time. 
Original  Knockabout.  Adopted    in  an  experi- 

mental form  in  1882,  it  was  changed  in  the  folio w- 

L  +  ^f^A 
ing  year  to  the  familiar  formula ,  or  the 

mean  of  the  water-line  length  and  the  square  root 
of  the  sail  area.  At  the  same  time  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club  adopted  Mr.  Hyslop 's  proposi- 
tion, but  in  a  form  that  bore  less  heavily  on  sail  ; 
the  length  to  be  taken  twice  and  the  square  root 

280 


*'  One-design''  and  Restricted  Classes     281 

of  the  sail  area  but  once,  the  sum  of  the  two  quan- 
tities being  divided  by  3  instead  of  2. 

As  applied  at  the  outset  to  the  sloops  and 
schooners  of  the  American  type,  and  to  the  grow- 
ing fleet  of  cutters  as  well,  this  rule  worked  very 
satisfactorily,  and  was,  perhaps,  as  good  as  any 
that  could  have  been  devised.  Under  its  influ- 
ence, the  New  York  Yacht  Club  later  changing  to 
the  Seawanhaka  coefficients,  and  this  same  rule 
being  adopted  by  many  other  clubs,  was  devel- 
oped the  great  fleet  of  modern  yachts  designed  by 
Gary  Smith,  Burgess,  and  the  younger  American 
designers  —  the  yachts  now  looked  back  to  as 
representing  the  best  days  of  American  yachting. 

In  a  rough  and  empirical  way  the  rule  placed  a 
fair  valuation  upon  two  of  the  essential  factors  of 
speed,  —  the  length  and  the  power;  both  breadth 
and  draft,  with  the  position  of  the  ballast,  being 
approximately  measured  through  the  sail  area 
carried.  In  all  the  yachts  of  this  era,  sloop  and 
cutter,  small  and  large,  the  midship  section  was 
of  considerable  area  in  proper  proportion  to  the 
rectangle  formed  by  the  breadth  and  draft ;  and 
the  fact  that  a  yacht  had  the  power  to  carry  a 
reasonable  sail  spread  was  of  itself  a  guarantee  of 
a  certain  amount  of  internal  space  available  for 
cabin,  galley,  etc. 


282  American  Yachting 

The  introduction  of  Gloriana  placed  an  entirely 
new  value  upon  the  important  factor  of  length ; 
and  when  this  was  followed  by  the  fin  keel  Di- 
lemma, in  which  breadth  and  draft  were  out  of 
all  proportion  to  the  very  small  transverse  area  of 
the  canoe-like  hull,  the  rule  became  practically 
worthless.  With  the  introduction  of  the  scow 
type  a  few  years  later  the  weakness  of  the  rule 
was  further  magnified,  as  a  water-line  length  of  20 
feet,  as  used  in  the  rule,  meant  an  effective  sail- 
ing length  of  from  30  to  40  feet,  with  a  propor- 
tionate sail  area. 

Although  the  fact  that  the  Seawanhaka  rule 
had  outlived  its  usefulness  was  realized  as  early 
as  1892,  and  its  positive  and  active  influences  for 
the  production  of  a  most  extreme  type  of  racing 
machine  were  generally  discussed  by  yachtsmen 
from  that  time  on,  the  racing  owners  and  the 
clubs  together  opposed  all  efforts  toward  a 
revision  of  the  rule ;  and  it  is  only  within  a  very 
few  years  that  anything  has  been  accomplished  in 
this  direction. 

As  the  rule  came  to  be  tested  in  a  new  and 
unforeseen  way  through  the  adoption  of  extreme 
dimensions  and  forms,  the  question  of  construc- 
tion assumed  a  new  aspect.     The  original   con- 


''One-design"  and  Restricted  Classes    283 

struction  of  yachts  differed  in  no  way  from  the 
contemporary  practice  in  commercial  shipyards 
in  other  vessels  of  the  same  size.  The  construc- 
tion of  the  America  was  that  of  the  ordinary  pilot- 
boat;  and  as  yacht  building  became  more  of  a 
specialty  in  the  period  immediately  succeeding 
her,  the  standard  of  construction  was  lowered 
rather  than  raised,  lacking  the  sterling  qualities 
of  the  old-fashioned  shipwright's  work.  The  soft 
woods  —  white  and  yellow  pine,  cedar,  and  chest- 
nut—  were  very  largely  used  instead  of  oak,  teak, 
and  mahogany,  as  in  British  practice,  with  some 
saving  of  weight  but  at  the  expense  of  initial 
strength  and  durability.  The  arrangement  of 
parts  and  the  selection  and  disposition  of  fasten- 
ings, —  in  itself  a  material  factor  of  good  construc- 
tion, —  received  little  attention  at  the  hands  of 
yacht-builders  between  i860  and  1880;  and  at  the 
same  time  the  shoal,  flat  form,  further  weakened 
by  the  centre-board  slot  and  trunk,  the  pressure 
of  the  big  board  itself,  the  cabin  trunk,  covering 
a  large  portion  of  the  deck  area  and  depriving  the 
hull  of  the  necessary  strength  given  by  continu- 
ous deck  beams,  made  of  the  large  centre-board 
yacht  a  weak  and  dangerous  structure.  That 
representative  vessels  of  this  era,  such  as   Vesta, 


284  American  Yachting 

crossed  the  Atlantic  in  safety,  in  no  way  offsets 
the  fact  that  the  general  system  of  construction 
was  faulty  in  the  extreme. 

Mosquito  (cutter),  1848,  practically  inaugurated 
the  use  of  iron  in  yacht  construction  in  England, 
but  it  was  not  until  187 1  that  it  was  introduced 
in  this  country  through  Vindex ;  and  until  the 
building  of  Mischief,  in  1879,  very  few  yachts, 
either  sail  or  steam,  were  of  other  than  the  ordi- 
nary wood  construction.  Early  in  the  sixties 
some  fine  examples  of  composite  construction 
were  launched  on  the  Clyde,  Oimara,  the  big 
yawl,  and  others  of  her  time  being  afloat  to-day ; 
and  this  construction  in  a  highly  perfected  form 
has  been  popular  in  Great  Britain  ever  since.  It 
is  seen  at  its  best  in  such  yachts  as  Queen  Mad, 
Valkyrie  II,  Astrild,  and  Eelin,  all  well  known  in 
this  country.  The  keel,  stem,  and  stern-post  are 
of  wood ;  the  frames  and  floors  are  of  steel ;  inside 
the  wood  keel  is  a  "  keel  plate  "  or  "  dish-plate 
keelson,"  flanged  into  a  trough-like  form,  to  which 
the  heels  of  frames  and  the  floors  are  riveted ; 
and  with  this  and  the  frames  as  a  backbone  and' 
ribs,  a  basket-work  of  deck  beams,  diagonal  straps, 
floor  beams,  and  gussets,  with  stringer-plates  and 
sheer-strakes,  make  a  light  but  extremely  strong 


''  One-design  "  and  Restricted  Classes    285 

and  rigid  frame.  Over  this  basket  of  steel  straps 
is  laid  the  planking  of  the  hull  and  the  deck,  the 
planking  frequently  being  in  two  thicknesses. 

While  the  common  shipyard  construction  was 
almost  universally  followed  in  yachts,  with  occa- 
sional attempts  at  improvement  on  the  part  of 
some  builders  whose  mechanical  instincts  and 
love  for  their  art  moved  them  to  better  things, 
the  first  real  advance  in  construction  is  due  to 
Mr.  Gary  Smith,  who,  beginning  with  such  yachts 
as  Intrepid  and  Fortuna,  cut  out  much  useless 
deadwood,  studied  more  carefully  the  proportion- 
ing and  arrangement  of  members,  and  insisted  on 
thorough  fitting  and  fastening.  The  Harvey 
cutters,  Oriva,  Bedouin,  and  Wenonah,  introduced 
a  new  and  very  costly  construction,  the  sizes  of 
the  frames  being  much  reduced,  they  being  in 
part  sawn  and  in  part  steamed  and  bent,  while 
the  planking  was  in  two  thicknesses,  carefully 
fitted,  with  marine  glue  or  some  similar  substance 
between,  and  fastened  with  copper  rivets.  In 
lightness,  strength,  and  durability  this  construc- 
tion marked  a  great  advance,  but  owing  to  its 
cost  it  never  became  general  in  this  country. 

The  now  all-important  question  of  the  weight 
of  hull   and  spars  as  compared  with  the  ballast 


286  American  Yachting 

received  no  serious  attention  in  America  prior 
to  the  building  of  the  40-footer  Liris  in  1889. 
Puritan,  Mayflower,  and  the  other  Burgess  boats, 
except  a  few  built  of  steel,  were  of  merely  a  good 
grade  of  ordinary  wood  construction,  —  wood 
frames,  keel,  and  planking,  without  diagonal 
straps  or  other  auxiliary  members  now  considered 
necessary. 

In  Liris  the  backbone  was  of  oak,  the  frames 
were  of  steel  angles,  carried  down  into  the  oak 
keel  in  a  way  that  subjected  the  lower  ends  to 
the  certainty  of  corrosion  in  a  few  years  of  ex- 
posure to  bilge-water  and  the  acids  of  the  oak. 
The  planking  was  of  two  thicknesses,  the  inner 
cedar  and  the  outer  mahogany,  with  painted  can- 
vas between,  both  skins  being  riveted  together 
between  the  frames  and  fastened  to  the  latter  by 
bronze  screw  bolts ;  the  deck,  also,  being  of  two 
thicknesses.  All  the  spars  were  hollow,  each 
stick  being  sawn  in  half  longitudinally,  hollowed 
out,  and  cemented  together  with  a  mixture  of 
quicklime  and  pot  cheese.  Through  the  weight 
thus  saved  in  hull  and  spars,  the  yacht  was  en- 
abled to  carry  some  two  to  three  tons  more  of 
lead  in  her  keel  than  the  Burgess  boats  of  the 
same  dimensions  and  displacement,  this  in  turn 


''One-design''  and  Restricted  Classes    287 

giving  her  from  300  to  400  square  feet  additional 
in  the  sail  plan.  Her  light  sails,  too,  were  of 
Union  silk,  then  but  little  known  here.  Owing 
to  its  experimental  nature  this  construction  was 
largely  a  failure,  every  spar  gave  way  during  the 
first  season,  two  masts  being  lost;  but  in  spite 
of  this  handicap  and  the  hard  competition  of 
Minerva,  the  advantages  of  such  a  construction 
were  demonstrated  in  the  many  victories  of  Liris 
over  others  of  her  class. 

The  first  Burgess  40-footers  were  built  with 
wood  frames  and  single  planking,  but  steel  frames 
were  used  in  Moccasin  and  Gossoon  in  1890,  and 
in  the  46-footers  of  the  following  year.  With 
thick  single  planking,  wedged  off  from  the 
frames  by  the  necessarily  heavy  calking,  these 
latter  boats  were  failures  at  the  outset,  demand- 
ing very  thorough  strengthening  to  make  them 
tight  and  safe,  though  they  are  all  afloat  and  in 
use  to-day.  The  construction  of  Gloriana  was 
of  this  so-called  "composite"  method;  but  she 
had  a  double  skin,  a  material  element  of  strength 
in  itself,  though  on  trial  it  was  found  necessary 
to  add  steel  straps  inside  under  the  deck  beams. 

With  Gloriana,  Wasp,  and  the  Herreshoff  fin 
keels  was  introduced  a  very  expensive  system  of 


288  American  Yachting 

construction,  commonly  called  "composite,"  but 
lacking  the  thoroughness  of  the  Scotch  method 
with  its  complete  interior  basket,  and  at  times 
failing  badly,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Herreshoff  70- 
foot  class  mentioned  later.  The  efforts  of  every 
designer  were  concentrated  in  the  reduction  of 
the  weight  of  hull  and  spars,  in  order  that  dis- 
placement might  be  reduced,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  proportion  of  ballast  might  be  increased 
to  give  added  power.  The  cost  of  yacht-build- 
ing ran  up  within  a  few  years  to  figures  pre- 
viously unheard  of,  the  sizes  of  the  yachts 
decreasing  at  the  same  time. 

The  formation  of  the  several  Cup-defending 
syndicates  took  from  the  regular  class  racing 
many  good  yachtsmen,  who,  though  liberal  in 
their  support,  soon  tired  of  building  a  large 
yacht,  or  even  a  40-footer,  with  the  certainty 
that  if  she  held  together  for  more  than  one  sea- 
son she  would  be  outclassed  by  a  more  extreme 
design,  and  outbuilt  by  still  lighter  construction, 
while  from  her  extreme  type  she  could  not  be 
sold  for  a  cruiser.  The  result  was  that  with  the 
growing  interest  in  the  smaller  racing  classes 
even  the  wealthier  yachtsmen  abandoned  the 
large   for   the  small    yachts,  and,  as   the   actual 


''  One-design  "  and  Restricted  Classes    289 

amount  involved  was  but  small,  offered  every 
inducement  to  designer  and  builder  to  produce 
the  fastest  possible  racing  machine,  without  re- 
gard to  first  cost  or  final  utility  and  sale  value. 
Under  this  stimulus  the  cost  of  yacht-racing  rose 
rapidly,  while  the  boats  were  useless  for  other 
purposes,  and  even  if  they  survived  their  brief 
racing  life,  were  broken  up  in  a  few  seasons. 

As  the  building  of  freaks,  large  and  small, 
became  little  less  than  an  epidemic  in  yacht- 
ing, a  natural  reaction  followed  on  the  part  of 
the  older  and  more  conservative  yachtsmen,  and 
also  some  of  the  younger  element,  who  demanded 
something  more  than  continual  outbuilding  and 
match  sailing. 

One  of  the  first  evidences  of  this  revolt  was 
about  Marblehead,  where  in  1892  the  21 -foot 
length  class  was  in  existence,  including  some 
very  extreme  centre-board  machines  —  for  the 
time  —  and  some  expensively  built  fin  keels.  In 
the  summer  of  this  year  there  appeared  two 
peculiar  little  boats,  in  general  type  similar  to 
the  keel  fishing  boats  of  the  coast,  but  with  the 
symmetry  of  form  and  the  finished  construction 
of  the  yacht.  These  two,  Nancy  and  Jane,  were 
designed  by  Stewart  &  Binney  for  Henry  Tag- 


290 


American  Yachting 


gard  and  Herman  Parker,  members  of  the  East- 
ern and  Corinthian  Yacht  clubs,  being  intended 


Lines  of  Original  Knockabout,  1892. 


''One-design"  and  Restricted  Classes    291 

for  sailing  in  the  rough  water  of  Massachusetts 
Bay  in  all  weathers,  —  a  use  which  made  the  term 
"  knockabout "  most  natural  and  appropriate.  On 
a  water-line  of  21  feet  and  a  breadth  of  7  feet  2 
inches,  the  bow  was  carried  out  into  a  very  easy 
and  graceful  overhang,  making  up  most  of  the 
excess  in  the  over-all  length  of  25  feet  6  inches, 
there  being  no  after  overhang,  except  the  small 
amount  due  to  the  moderate  rake  of  the  square 
transom.  The  draft  was  4  feet  2  inches,  of 
which  about  18  inches  was  made  up  of  an  iron 
keel  of  1070  pounds.  The  yacht  was  half -decked 
with  an  oval  cockpit ;  the  rudder  was  hung  out- 
side the  transom ;  and  beneath  the  foredeck  was 
a  cuddy,  giving  shelter  in  a  sudden  storm  and 
dry  stowage  for  gear.  The  rig  was  as  peculiar 
as  the  hull :  the  total  area  of  400  square  feet  was 
distributed  between  a  rather  large  mainsail  and 
small  jib,  the  latter  with  tack  fast  to  the  stem 
head,  thus  dispensing  with  a  bowsprit.  The  hull 
was  strongly  constructed  but  neatly  finished,  and 
the  complete  yacht  ready  for  sailing  cost  but 
$450,  as  compared  with  $2000  for  a  racing  2i->> 
footer,  fit  only  for  sailing  in  moderate  weather. 
These  two  boats  were  seen  outside  Marblehead 
Harbor,  sailed  by  one  man  at  times,  in  weather 


292  American  Yachting 

when  the  larger  yachts  were  glad  to  lie  at  their 
moorings.  They  were  slow  in  light  weather  beside 
the  racing  21 -footers  and  some  of  the  old  cat- 
boats,  but  for  real  pleasure  sailing  at  all  times  on 
such  open  waters  they  were  unequalled.  The 
name  and  type  very  soon  became  popular  and 
the  Boston  designers  were  kept  busy  with  new 
designs.  In  a  short  time  a  counter  was  added, 
the  form  was  altered  a  little,  lead  keels  were 
introduced,  and  the  sail  area  was  increased,  each 
successive  boat  being  faster  than  her  predecessor 
but  at  the  same  time  a  little  further  from  the  idea 
which  had  called  the  type  into  existence.  Early 
in  1894  the  majority  of  the  owners  of  the  knock- 
abouts united  for  the  protection  of  the  class  before 
it  should  be  improved  out  of  existence,  and  a 
simple  agreement  was  made  that  all  should  unite 
in  discouraging  the  over-development  of  the 
boats,  observing  some  restrictions  on  dimensions, 
type,  and  ballasting.  In  the  following  year,  with 
a  great  increase  of  the  number  of  knockabouts, 
now  recognized  as  an  admirable  racing  class,  the 
Knockabout  Association  was  formed,  with  an 
extension  of  the  restrictions,  which  ultimately  in- 
cluded the  sizes  of  frames,  planking,  etc. 

As  the  racing  continued,  it  attracted  to  the  class 


''  One-design  "  and  Restricted  Classes    293 

some  of  the  most  active  of  eastern  yachtsmen,  and 
Herreshoff  and  other  designers  were  placed  in  hot 
competition  to  head  the  class.  The  result  was 
the  rapid  reduction  of  displacement  and  midship 
section,  with  weight  of  hull  in  spite  of  the  scant- 
ling restrictions,  and  the  increase  of  the  pro- 
portion of  weight  in  the  keel.  Though  the 
"  fin  keel "  was  specifically  prohibited  in  the  class, 
this  competition,  in  which  Mr.  Herreshoff  led, 
soon  resulted  in  an  expensive  racing  machine,  of 
over  thirty  feet  over-all  length,  with  a  section 
which  was  virtually  that  of  the  fin  keel,  except  in 
that  the  metal  plate  was  replaced  by  a  deep,  thin 
fin  of  wood. 

Up  to  1898  the  sail  limit  had  been  500  square 
feet,  with  not  less  than  400  square  feet  in  the 
mainsail ;  but  in  that  year  a  new  class  was  organ- 
ized, with  600  square  feet  of  sail,  a  bowsprit  being 
permitted.  The  original  idea  of  a  knockabout 
had  entirely  disappeared,  and  a  new  name,  "  race- 
about,"  applied  first  by  the  writer  in  derision  of 
this  machine-ward  tendency  of  even  the  best 
attempts  for  the  preservation  of  desirable  types, 
was  very  shortly  adopted  generally  for  the  new 
class.  The  knockabout  still  survives  to  a  certain 
extent  as  a  cruising  boat;  but  for  some  years  past 


294  American  Yachting 

the  raceabout  in  an  extreme  form,  both  as  to 
model  and  construction,  has  been  popular  in  the 
East  and  on  Long  Island  Sound  as  a  racing  class. 

In  1894  a  restricted  racing  class  was  started 
on  Long  Island  Sound,  the  idea  originating  with 
W.  Butler  Duncan,  Jr.  The  limits  were  21  feet 
water-line,  31  feet  over  all,  decked  with  open 
cockpit  and  not  more  than  600  nor  less  than  500 
square  feet  of  sail  in  mainsail  and  jib.  Some  thir- 
teen boats  were  built  from  designs  by  Herreshoff, 
Gardner,  Dyer,  Waterhouse,  and  others,  the  Her- 
reshoff boats  being  fin  keels  and  most  of  the 
others  of  the  centre-board  type.  The  class  was 
raced  steadily  for  the  first  season,  and  though  the 
interest  then  declined  so  far  as  some  of  the  origi- 
nal owners  were  concerned,  the  boats  in  other 
hands  were  sailed  for  some  years  in  various  classes 
about  the  Sound. 

In  1895  a  larger  class  of  cabin  yachts,  of  34 
feet  total  measurement  by  the  Seawanhaka  rule, 
was  started  by  the  Larchmont  Yacht  Club  under 
rigid  restrictions,  the  yachts,  both  keel  and  centre- 
board, being  designed  by  leading  New  York  de- 
signers. The  class  was  not  as  successful  as  at 
first  anticipated,  and  proved  rather  short-lived. 

In  1896  another  class  was  started  by  the  yachts- 


I 


One-design''  and  Restricted  Classes     295 


men  of  Newport,  the  yachts  being  exclusively  of 
one  design  and  identical  construction.  They  were 
designed  and  built  by  the  Herreshoff  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  —  fin-keel  boats  of  double-skin  con- 
struction with  bronze  fins,  the  length  over  all 
being  42  feet;  water-line,  30  feet;  breadth,  8  feet 
3  inches;  and  draft,  7  feet.  They  were  rigged 
as  pole-masted  sloops,  with  short  bowsprits,  and 
each  was  fitted  with  a  small  cabin  forward,  —  a 
shelter  in  case  of  rain.  The  class  was  nominally 
a  restricted  but  not  a  "  one-design  "  one,  and  three 
outside  boats  by  other  designers  sailed  a  few 
races;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  in  its  long 
life,  from  1896  to  the  present  time,  it  has  been 
exclusively  a  Herreshoff  one-design  class.  Some 
twenty  yachts,  all  exactly  alike,  have  been  built 
and  raced  every  season  at  Newport,  some  of  them 
taking  part  in  the  races  at  the  west  end  of  the 
Sound  early  in  the  season.  Both  Corinthians 
and  professionals  have  handled  the  sticks,  and 
some  have  been  sailed  by  ladies.  The  large 
number  of  races  sailed  by  yachts  of  identical 
design  and  construction  have  served  as  most 
valuable  tests  of  men  and  sails,  the  winning  being 
dependent  upon  these  two  important  factors. 
Where  two  men  have  changed  boats  after  sailing 


296  American  Yachting 

against  each  other  for  half  a  dozen  races;  or 
where,  under  similar  conditions,  one  of  the  boats 
has  tried  a  new  mainsail,  there  has  been  no  diffi- 
culty in  locating  the  exact  cause  of  such  differ- 
ence as  might  be  apparent  in  the  result. 

In  1898  the  Seawanhaka  Corinthian  Yacht 
Club  established  a  one-design  class  of  21 -foot 
knockabouts,  designed  and  built  by  W.  B.  Stearns, 
of  Marblehead,  some  twenty  boats  being  built  for 
this  club,  and  as  many  more  for  the  Philadelphia 
Corinthian  Yacht  Club  and  other  clubs. 

The  most  ambitious  attempt  at  a  one-design 
class  was  made  in  1900  in  the  Herreshoff  70-foot 
class,  four  yachts  being  built,  —  Mineola  II,  for  Au- 
gust Belmont,  Virginia  for  W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  Jr., 
Yankee  for  H.  B.  Duryea  and  H.  P.  Whitney,  and 
Rainbow  for  Cornelius  Vanderbilt.  Though  origi- 
nally intended  as  a  model  class  of  fast  cruisers 
with  ample  cabin  accommodation,  the  final  design 
was  of  the  extreme  semi-fin  type,  with  very  full 
water-line,  hollow  midship  section,  and  excessive 
overhangs.  The  dimensions  were:  length  over 
all,  106  feet;  water-line,  70  feet;  breadth,  19  feet 
5  inches;  draft,  15  feet.  The  construction  was 
nominally  composite,  and  no  expense  was  spared 
by  the   owners,  but  the   straps,  braces,  stringer- 


''One-design''  and  Restricted  Classes     297 

plates,  and  other  members  which  make  the  Hfe  of 
a  composite  vessel,  were  omitted,  there  being 
little  more  than  steel  frames  and  wooden  stem, 
keel,  and  planking.  They  showed  serious  signs 
of  weakness  in  their  first  races,  leaking  very 
badly;  and  though  persistently  raced,  the  first 
season  was  spoiled  by  this  defect.  They  were 
rebuilt  in  the  following  winter,  at  a  heavy  cost 
and  with  the  addition  of  weight  in  the  wrong 
place;  but  no  additions  were  made  to  the  first 
four,  and  the  class  is  virtually  dead. 

A  similar  attempt  was  made  in  1902,  with  the 
60-foot  one-design  class  of  two  boats,  Weetamoe 
and  Neola,  designed  by  William  Gardner.  The 
construction  was  more  expensive  and  elaborate 
than  the  Herreshoff  70-footers,  the  plating  being 
Tobin  bronze  on  steel  frames,  Weetamoe  having 
in  part  bronze  frames  as  well.  The  two  were  not 
conspicuously  successful  in  their  first  season,  and 
in  the  following  winter  they  were  lengthened  five 
feet  at  the  bow  about  the  water-line ;  but  no  other 
boats  were  built  to  meet  them. 

The  lower  limit  of  the  one-design  class  is 
reached  in  the  Yankee  dory,  costing  from  $40 
to  $60,  with  mainsail  and  jib,  and  bought  by  the 
dozen  or  half-dozen  by  small  clubs.     From  this 


298  American  Yachting 

the  classes  range  upward  in  size  and  cost,  includ- 
ing many  stanch  and  able  little  craft  of  twenty 
or  thirty  feet  length  and  moderate  cost,  in  which 
young  Corinthians  and  yachtsmen  of  moderate 
means  can  find  good  racing  and  yet  can  cruise  as 
well.  Where  cost  is  the  first  object,  the  one- 
design  class  is  preferable,  as  the  first  outlay  for 
both  design  and  construction  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum  and,  under  the  rules  of  the  class,  altera- 
tions are  prohibited.  The  restricted  class,  how- 
ever, attains  in  part  the  same  end  and  yet  gives 
greater  opportunity  for  experiment  in  design  and 
the  development  of  new  ideas. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

LIPTON    AND   THE    THREE    SHAMROCKS 

The  avowed  purpose  of  the  donors  of  the 
America  Cup  was  to  promote  friendly  competi- 
tion between  the  yachtsmen  of  different  nations, 
and  it  may  be  assumed  that  this  carried  with  it 
the  permanent  existence  of  one  or  more  classes  of 
large  racing  yachts  from  which  challengers  and 
defenders  would  be  chosen.  So  far  from  this 
being  the  case,  through  many  causes,  some  of 
which  have  been  outlined  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, the  building  of  large  racing  yachts,  both  cut- 
ters and  schooners,  has  practically  ceased  in  this 
country,  and  in  Great  Britain  as  well,  in  spite  of 
the  great  encouragement  given  by  King  Edward 
VII  and  William  III  in  the  regular  racing  of 
such  yachts  as  Britannia  and  Meteor  II,  At  the 
present  time,  as  for  some  years  past,  challenges 
come,  not  from  yachtsmen  like  Mr.  Ashbury  and 
Sir  Richard  Sutton,  who  through  experience  in 
the  ordinary  class  racing  believe  their  yachts  to 
be  capable  of  winning  the  Cup,  but  from  men  of 

299 


300  American  Yachting 

ample  means,  but  without  yachting  experience, 
who  see  in  the  pubHcity  attending  a  Cup  match 
a  means  of  advertising  themselves.  Without 
searching  too  closely  into  his  ultimate  motives, 
it  may  at  least  be  said  that  Lord  Dunraven  dis- 
played no  interest  in  yachting  until  within  a  very 
short  time  before  his  first  challenge  was  issued; 
and  when  he  appeared  here  several  years  later  on 
the  deck  of  a  challenger,  he  knew  little  of  yacht- 
ing usage  and  precedent,  or  of  the  history  of  the 
Cup  contests;  nor  was  he  fit  to  deal  with  such 
an  important  venture,  involving  a  most  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  sport  in  all  its  aspects. 

Following  the  Dunraven  challenges  and  dis- 
putes British  yachtsmen  displayed  no  interest  in 
the  Cup.  At  times  wealthy  men,  apparently  at- 
tracted by  the  prominence  which  accompanies  a 
challenge,  took  some  of  the  preliminary  steps, 
only  to  withdraw  in  the  end.  In  1898,  however, 
a  new  aspirant  appeared  for  Cup  honors  in  the 
person  of  Sir  Thomas  Lipton,  a  very  wealthy 
merchant,  who,  from  a  humble  origin  and  starting 
at  the  very  bottom  as  a  grocer's  boy,  had  through 
innate  shrewdness  and  perseverance  attained  much 
prominence  in  England,  being  knighted  as  a  re- 
ward for  his  liberal  contributions  to  charity. 


Lipton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks      301 

In  view  of  his  conduct  in  three  different 
matches  for  the  Cup,  his  liberal  expenditures  in 
yachting,  and  his  many  sterling  qualities,  it  would 
be  most  unfair  to  class  him  as  other  than  a  thor- 
ough sportsman ;  but  at  the  same  time  his  yacht- 
ing career  practically  began  with  his  first  challenge 
for  the  America  Cup,  and  his  yachting  experi- 
ence has  been  confined  almost  exclusively  to 
one  of  the  largest  steam  yachts. 

The  attempts  of  Sir  Thomas  to  "lift  the  Cup" 
—  to  use  the  phrase  coined  by  himself  —  resulted 
in  three  matches,  in  1899,  1901,  and  1903,  the  chal- 
lenging yacht  in  each  case  being  named  Sham- 
rocky  with  a  distinguishing  numeral,  and  being 
successively  defeated.  By  a  gradual  evolution 
the  Cup  contests  have  become  something  apart 
from  the  regular  course  of  yachting,  with  distinct 
characteristics  of  their  own  which  deserve  special 
study.  The  three  Shamrock  contests,  in  particu- 
lar, have  much  in  common  and  may  be  classed 
together. 

In  type  of  yacht  the  two  nations  have  come 
completely  together,  all  the  Cup  contestants  of 
late  years  being  keel  cutters  of  great  draft  and 
over-all  length,  with  the  cutter  rig,  and  in  model 
of  the  semi-fin  type,  of   extreme  hollow  section. 


302  American  Yachting 

the  fin  and  hull  being  practically  two  distinct 
elements,  but  structurally  a  unit.  The  hulls  have 
been  built  of  metal  throughout,  aluminum  and 
the  most  costly  bronzes  being  used  freely.  The 
rigs,  in  which  hollow  spars  of  steel  have  become 
an  essential  feature,  are  of  the  cutter  type  but 
modified  in  proportion  and  detail,  with  great 
improvements  in  the  reduction  of  weight  and 
the  simplification  and  strengthening  of  all 
parts. 

The  dominating  spirit  of  the  three  contests 
has  been  N.  G.  Herreshoff,  who,  backed  by  the 
confidence  of  different  members  of  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club,  and  working  with  no  limita- 
tion on  expense,  has  each  year  gone  further  in 
the  perfection  of  the  racing  machine  in  model, 
construction,  spars,  rigging,  and  sails.  The  capa- 
city of  the  Herreshoff  plant  has  by  degrees  been 
extended  until  almost  every  part  of  a  Cup  de- 
fender is  produced  on  the  premises.  The  steel 
angles  and  bronze  plates  are  received  from  the 
rolling  mills ;  the  cotton  duck,  all  specially  woven, 
also  comes  from  outside  mills ;  and  the  blocks  and 
cordage  are  made  outside  the  works.  For  the  rest, 
the  sails  are  cut  and  sewed  under  the  watchful 
eye  of  the  designer,  the  hull  is  built  under  his 


Lipfon  and  the  Three  Shamrocks      303 

hand,  and  outside  assistance  is  depended  on  only 
for  a  part  of  the  wire  rigging. 

In  perfection  of  hull  construction  the  Herre- 
shoff  defenders  have  surpassed  the  challengers  in 
light  weight  and  strength,  and  at  least  equalled 
them  in  outside  finish;  in  rig  they  have  been 
distinctly  in  advance,  and  the  same  may  be  said 
of  the  steel  spars.  The  Herreshoff  sails  have 
been  placed  in  competition  beside  those  of  Lap- 
thorne  &  Ratsey,  the  leading  British  makers, 
with  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  exact 
merits  of  each ;  but  it  is  on  record  that  the 
former  have  been  uniformly  on  the  winning 
boats.  It  is  extremely  difficult  for  one  not  per- 
sonally in  contact  with  them  to  determine  the 
true  merits  of  large  sails;  those  which  are 
faultless  to  the  eye  sometimes  fail  in  actual  work 
alongside  of  others  which  apparently  lack  both 
fit  and  finish.  So  many  conditions  enter  into 
these  Cup  contests,  the  sails  being  but  one  of 
the  many  material  factors,  that  it  is  impossible 
to  say  which  of  the  two,  if  either,  is  distinctly 
superior.  One  thing  can  be  said  confidently,  that 
the  Herreshoff  sails  on  the  defending  yachts 
have  been  stretched  and  hoisted  on  better  spars, 
more  thoroughly  supported  by  the  rigging ;  they 


304  American  Yachting 

have  received  more  thoughtful  and  intelligent 
attention  at  the  hands  of  skipper  and  crew;  and 
they  have  been  trimmed  with  more  care,  skill, 
and  good  judgment  in  the  races. 

In  the  case  of  each  of  the  six  yachts  built  either 
on  the  Clyde  or  on  Narragansett  Bay,  the  most 
rigid  secrecy  has  been  maintained  by  owners, 
designers,  and  builders ;  and  though  some  dimen- 
sions are  of  necessity  disclosed  through  the  offi- 
cial club  measurement  prior  to  the  races,  most 
of  the  dimensions  and  elements,  with  the  lines, 
are  withheld  from  the  yachting  public,  thus  mak- 
ing any  deliberate  and  thorough  comparison  of 
designs  impossible.  In  a  general  way  the  dimen- 
sions, and  even  the  model,  show  no  radical  differ- 
ence, except  in  the  case  of  the  defender  of  1903, 
Reliance,  The  yachts  have  all  been  designed 
to  the  limit  of  90  feet  on  the  water-line,  with 
only  sufficient  margin  to  make  certain  that  this 
length  will  not  be  exceeded.  In  over-all  length 
they  measure  from  128  feet  in  Shamrock  I  to 
143  feet  in  Reliance,  —  the  average  being  near  the 
lower  limit,  —  and  in  breadth  they  vary  between 
24  and  25  feet.  The  draft  of  none  is  positively 
known,  but  it  ranges  from  19  feet  6  inches  to 
under  21  feet.    The  sail  area  has  increased  with 


Lipton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks      305 

each  successive  contest,  that  of  Columbia  in 
1899  being  13,131  square  feet  and  that  of  Re- 
liance 16,160  square  feet 

The  first  challenge  from  Sir  Thomas  Lipton 
came  through  the  Royal  Ulster  Yacht  Club,  of 
Belfast,  Ireland,  in  the  form  of  a  notification  by 
cable  in  August,  1898;  and  in  the  following 
month  a  committee  of  three  members  of  the 
club  and  William  Fife,  Jr.,  the  designer  of  Clara 
and  Minerva,  visited  New  York  and  in  a  short 
time  arranged  with  the  New  York  Yacht  Club 
all  the  details  of  the  match,  the  conditions  be- 
ing the  same  as  those  governing  the  Dunraven 
matches.  Though  the  "  dimensions  "  of  the  chal- 
lenging yacht  as  specified  in  the  Deed  of  Gift 
were  requested,  the  committee  gave  only  the 
water-line  length,  89.50  feet,  and  no  further 
demand  was  made  for  additional  figures,  of 
breadth,  draft,  etc.  The  date  agreed  on  for 
the  first  race  was  October  3,  1899,  or  just  thirteen 
months  from  the  date  of  the  challenge,  proving 
the  contention  of  some  yachtsmen  that  the  lack 
of  ample  notice  was  due  not  to  the  challengers 
but  to  the  defenders,  who  in  the  past  had  refused 
to  receive  it. 

The  design  was  intrusted  to  Mr.  Fife,  and  the 


3o6  American  Yachting 

contract  for  the  construction  was  given  to  the 
noted  builders  of  torpedo-boats,  J.  I.  Thorney- 
croft  &  Company,  on  the  Thames.  In  spite  of 
his  many  successes  in  small  yachts,  this  was 
but  the  third  attempt  of  Mr.  Fife  in  the  large 
class,  his  first,  Calluna,  in  1893,  being  a  failure 
and  his  second,  Ailsa^  in  1895,  being  second  to 
the  older  Britannia  in  that  year,  and  only  moder- 
ately successful  later.  The  new  boat  was  plated 
with  manganese  bronze  below  water  and  alumi- 
num on  the  topsides,  this  light  but  weak  metal 
being  used  freely  for  straps  and  internal  braces 
about  the  deck  w^here  weight  was  most  impor- 
tant. Her  spars  were  of  steel,  except  the  bow- 
sprit and  spinnaker  boom,  and  she  had  a  sail 
area  of  13,500  square  feet. 

The  defence  of  the  Cup  was  assumed  by  J. 
Pierpont  Morgan,  then  commodore  of  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club,  with  C.  Oliver  Iselin,  the  latter 
as  part  owner  in  the  new  yacht  and  having  entire 
charge  of  her.  At  the  same  time,  as  one  of  the 
Defender  syndicate.  Commodore  Morgan  bore  the 
expense  of  rebuilding  and  refitting  her,  placing 
her  in  the  hands  of  W.  Butler  Duncan  as  "  man- 
aging owner  "  for  the  season.  The  order  for  the 
new  yacht  was  placed  with  the  Herreshoffs,  and 


Lipton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks      307 

on  June  10,  1899,  Columbia  was  launched  at  the 
Bristol  shops.  With  a  keel,  stem,  and  stern-post 
of  cast  bronze,  the  frames  were  of  steel  angles, 
disposed  in  the  usual  way,  running  from  keel  to 
deck  at  distances  of  about  twenty  inches  apart ; 
the  plating  was  of  manganese  bronze,  except  the 
upper  strakes,  which  were  of  steel.  The  use  of 
aluminum  was  abandoned  after  the  experiment 
with  Defender  in  1893. 

Columbia  s  model  was  identical  in  a  general 
way  with  that  of  Defender,  but  she  was  slightly 
wider,  and  her  midship  section,  instead  of  a  con- 
tinuous S  curve,  showed  a  decided  turn  at  the 
bilge,  then  a  straight  piece  of  floor,  and  below  a 
rather  sharp  turn  into  the  neck  of  the  fin.  The 
lead  keel,  of  some  ninety  tons,  was  outside  of 
the  bronze  keel  plate,  but  the  lower  strake  of  the 
plating  lapped  down  over  the  lead,  reenforcing 
the  bronze  lag-screws  which  bound  the  keel  and 
the  lead  together.  The  fore-and-aft  lines  were 
more  fair  and  true  than  in  Defender,  especially 
in  the  counter.  The  .most  serious  defect  of 
Defender  was  the  structural  weakness  in  the 
wake  of  the  mast,  that  heavy  spar  with  its  step 
on  one  occasion  in  the  early  races  of  1895  nearly 
going  through  the  bottom  of  the  boat.    To  remedy 


3o8  American  Yachting 

this,  the  mast  step  of  Columbia  was  extended  on 
the  base  to  cover  a  large  area  of  the  bottom,  dis- 
tributing the  strains  just  as  a  tree  is  rooted  by 
many  wide-spreading  roots.  At  the  same  time 
this  portion  of  the  yacht  was  strengthened  higher 
up  by  the  building  in  of  two  "  web  frames  "  in 
place  of  the  ordinary  angles,  —  frames  built  up  of 
light  sheet  steel  flanged  on  the  inner  edges  and 
riveted  to  the  angles  at  the  plating,  these  extend- 
ing across  the  deck  at  the  mast  partners  as  well 
as  down  the  sides. 

Columbia  was  sailed  by  Captain  Charles  Barr 
with  a  crew  of  sailors  from  Deer  Island,  as  in  the 
case  of  Defender ;  Captain  Urias  Rhodes  was 
selected  for  Defender,  with  a  crew  of  Scandi- 
navian yacht  sailors.  Captain  Rhodes  was  an 
old  and  experienced  yacht  skipper,  but  he  had  no 
immediate  experience  with  the  modern  racing 
machine,  having  been  for  some  years  in  the  older 
type  of  fast  cruising  yacht,  sailing  only  a  few 
races  on  the  cruise.  Defender  was  well  handled 
through  the  season,  but  the  superiority  of  the 
new  boat  was  apparent  from  the  start,  and  her 
selection  was  a  foregone  conclusion  long  before 
the  formal  trial  races. 

Captain  "Archie  "  Hogarth,  one  of  the  leading 


Lipton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks       309 

skippers  of  the  Clyde,  was  selected  to  command 
Shamrock  /,  with  Captain  Robert  Wringe,  an 
English  skipper,  to  assist  him.  Captain  Ho- 
garth's experience  had  been  in  smaller  yachts, 
and  there  was  no  trial  boat  available  for  the  tun- 
ing up  of  Shamrock  I  at  home.  She  sailed  from 
the  Clyde  on  August  3,  convoyed  by  her  owner's 
steam  yacht  Erin,  the  New  York  Yacht  Club 
having  granted  to  Sir  Thomas  Lipton  the  privi- 
lege of  towing,  if  found  necessary.  The  voyage 
was  made,  partly  under  her  jury  rig,  but  mainly  in 
tow,  in  fourteen  days.  The  month  intervening 
between  her  refitting  and  the  races  was  spent  in 
trial  sailing  outside  Sandy  Hook,  under  the  active 
direction  of  Mr.  Fife,  and  with  Sir  Thomas  either 
on  board  or  following  on  the  Erin,  —  the  yacht 
seeming  to  be  very  fast. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  in  connection  with  the 
long  series  of  Cup  contests,  that  any  particular 
season  selected  as  likely  to  furnish  suitable 
weather  has  proved  exactly  the  reverse.  This  year 
October  was  chosen  with  the  expectation  of  clear, 
cool  weather  and  fresh  winds ;  but  the  weather 
was  thick  and  foggy  and  there  was  little  or  no 
wind.  No  less  than  thirteen  separate  trials  were 
made  before  three   races  were   sailed,  all   being 


3IO  American  Yachting 

won  by  Columbia.  Shamrock  suffered  through 
the  serious  illness  of  Mr.  Fife,  who  was  attacked 
by  inflammatory  rheumatism  while  the  yacht  was 
in  dock  just  before  the  races,  spending  the  next 
month  in  bed  at  his  hotel,  in  ignorance  of  what 
was  happening  outside  Sandy  Hook.  While 
this  was  a  loss  to  the  yacht,  it  was  still  more 
serious  in  that  Mr.  Fife  had  no  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  good  and  bad  points  of  his  boat  to 
guide  him  in  the  future. 

Shamrock  proved  very  fast  in  light  weather, 
with  her  large  area  of  good  canvas,  and  she  was 
well  handled  in  the  manoeuvring ;  but  she 
suffered  from  some  serious  mistakes  of  judg- 
ment on  the  part  of  her  trio  of  skippers,  for 
Captain  Ben  Parker,  skipper  of  the  Emperor's 
Meteor  II,  had  run  over  to  New  York  to  have  a 
hand  in  the  "  lifting  "  of  the  Cup.  In  handling 
under  all  possible  conditions  and  circumstances 
she  was  outmatched  by  Captain  Barr  and  his 
mate,  "  Lem "  Miller,  and  the  crew  which  they 
had  trained.  The  most  serious  defect  of  Sham- 
rock I  was  the  weakness  of  her  spars,  which 
t)uckled  badly  in  any  force  of  wind  and  killed 
the  sit  of  the  sails,  practically  crippling  her  ex- 
cept in  light  weather.     All  things  considered,  her 


Upton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks       311 

model  of  itself  was  not  as  thoroughly  tested  by 
trial  with  a  known  boat  as  was  Columbia  s 
against  Defender,  she  was  not  as  thoroughly 
tuned  up,  nor  was  she  well  sailed,  while  the 
absence  of  Mr.  Fife  was  a  serious  handicap.  The 
model  to  the  eye  did  not  resemble  the  many  fast 
Fife  boats  so  well  known  in  this  country,  nor  did 
it  do  equal  credit  to  its  designer  in  combining 
beauty  of  line  and  form  with  the  essentials  of 
speed.  In  November  Shamrock  I  was  towed 
home,  she  and  the  Erin  making  the  passage  in 
seventeen  days. 

For  his  second  attempt  Sir  Thomas  Lipton 
selected  Mr.  Watson,  giving  him  practically  carte 
blanche  as  to  expense,  and  asking  only  the  fastest 
possible  yacht  which  could  be  built.  The  basis 
of  Mr.  Watson's  work  was  a  series  of  carefully 
conducted  experiments  with  models  in  the  private 
experimental  tank  of  the  shipyard  of  William 
Denny  &  Brother  at  Dumbarton,  near  Glasgow. 
This  line  of  investigation,  though  dating  back 
some  years  in  the  designing  of  steam  vessels  for 
naval  and  commercial  service,  was  new  in  its 
application  to  sailing  craft,  especially  yachts ; 
the  problem  of  reproducing  with  even  approximate 
accuracy  the   motion   of   a  vessel  heeled  under 


312  American  Yachting 

sail  and  heading  obliquely  to  her  true  course  was 
very  different  from  the  simple  substitution  of  a 
tow-line  for  a  propeller  in  a  power-driven  vessel, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  true  value  of 
the  work  to  the  designer. 

The  model  of  Shamrock  II,  when  seen  in  the 
dry-dock  at  New  York,  showed  a  close  relation- 
ship in  dimensions  and  type  to  the  Herreshoff 
defenders,  and  also  those  individual  features  of  a 
shoal  body  with  a  distinct  fin,  full  water-lines,  and 
cleanly  swept  diagonals,  which  mark  all  fast 
yachts  of  the  present  time.  The  plating,  from  the 
bottom  of  the  keel  to  the  deck,  was  of  immadium, 
—  a  new  alloy  possessing  great  rigidity  and  ten- 
sile strength,  —  and  the  workmanship  was  equal 
to  anything  yet  produced  on  either  side  of  the 
water.  Much  has  been  said  about  the  initial 
weakness  and  lack  of  structural  strength  in 
Shamrock  II,  but  a  close  examination  of  the  hull 
when  it  was  demolished  at  the  Erie  Basin  in 
November,  1903,  failed  to  disclose  either  disin- 
tegration or  strain,  except  in  the  case  of  some 
aluminum  liners  used  between  the  frames  and 
the  plating. 

The  second  Lipton  challenge  was  dated  Octo- 
ber 2,  1900,  and   the   first   race  was   started  on 


Upton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks       313 

September  26,  1901  ;  in  the  intervening  time  much 
had  been  done  on  this  side  of  the  water.  A 
syndicate  was  formed  within  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club,  the  members  being  Vice  Commodore 
August  Belmont,  Oliver  H.  Payne,  Frederick  G. 
Bourne,  James  Stillman,  and  Henry  Walters,  and 
an  order  for  a  new  yacht  was  placed  with  the 
builders  of  Defender  and  Columbia.  This  yacht, 
Constitution,  launched  on  May  6,  was  in  model 
an  improved  Defender,  the  midship  section  re- 
sembling that  yacht  rather  than  Columbia,  The 
good  points  of  both  yachts  were  combined  in  the 
new  model,  and  to  the  eye  her  form  showed  an 
added  finish  and  fairness. 

The  construction  was  a  radical  departure  in 
yacht  work,  the  ordinary  transverse  ribs  or  frames 
at  close  intervals  only  extending  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  fin  ;  above  this  a  series  of  longitudinal 
stringers  was  used,  with  "  web  "  or  "  belt  "  frames, 
built  up  of  sheet  steel  and  light  angles,  at  four 
times  the  distance  apart  of  the  ordinary  frames, 
or  6  feet  8  inches.  The  structural  weights  of  all 
Cup  yachts  are  so  closely  guarded  by  their  de- 
signers that  no  exact  comparison  between  this 
and  the  ordinary  method  is  possible,  but  it  is  gen- 
erally assumed  that  the  added  labor  and  expense 


314  American  Yachting 

of  the  new  method  is  fully  justified  by  a  gain 
both  in  weight  and  strength. 

Constitution  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  W. 
Butler  Duncan  and  Captain  Rhodes,  who  manned 
her  with  an  American  crew,  partly  from  Deer  Isl- 
and and  partly  from  the  south  shore  of  Long 
Island.  At  the  same  time  E.  D.  Morgan  volun- 
teered to  take  charge  of  Columbia,  selecting  Cap- 
tain Barr  to  aid  him,  with  a  Scandinavian  crew. 
While  showing  well  in  the  first  races,  Constitution 
in  the  end  proved  inferior  to  Columbia,  and  the 
old  boat  was  selected  for  the  second  time  to 
defend  the  Cup. 

One  of  the  important  side  issues  of  this  match 
was  the  building  of  Independe^tce  by  Thomas  W. 
Lawson,  of  Boston,  to  aid  in  defending  the  Cup. 
Not  being  a  member  of  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club,  Mr.  Lawson's  demand  that  he  should  be 
admitted  to  the  trial  races  of  the  club  on  his  own 
terms  was  refused  by  it ;  and  on  his  part  he  would 
not  agree  to  enter  the  yacht  nominally  in  the 
name  of  a  member  of  the  club  to  comply  with  the 
technicalities  made  necessary  by  the  club's  rules. 
Consequently,  Independence  was  able  to  meet  the 
other  two  boats  only  in  a  few  outside  races. 

Her    many    hard    battles    with    Constitution 


Lipton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks       315 

through  the  season  had  put  Columbia  in  per- 
fect form,  doing  much  to  offset  the  fact  that  she 
was  a  two-year-old  boat.  Shamrock  II  had  been 
compelled  to  do  her  trial  sailing  practically  alone. 
She  was  handled  by  Captain  Wringe  and  Captain 
Sycamore,  both  now  familiar  with  the  Sandy 
Hook  course  from  previous  experience. 

Five  different  trials  were  necessary  before 
three  races  were  sailed,  all  being  won  by  Colum- 
bia^ but  by  a  small  margin ;  Shamrock  II  being 
at  times  the  leader.  The  result  of  this  match 
may  be  summarized  by  the  statement  that  in  the 
three  races  the  yachts  sailed  90  nautical  miles  in 
all,  the  time  being  12  hours,  18  minutes,  3  sec- 
onds, and  Columbia  winning  by  3  minutes  27 
seconds,  actual,  and  5  minutes  56  seconds,  cor- 
rected, time.  The  average  speed  was  conse- 
quently a  little  less  than  7 J  knots. 

Shamrock  II  was  well  handled  in  the  main,  but 
not  so  well  as  Columbia,  The  best  work  was  in 
the  manoeuvring  at  the  start  and  when  in  close 
company  on  the  wind;  off  the  wind  she  was  by 
no  means  as  well  sailed  as  Columbia,  whether 
under  spinnaker  or  on  a  reach.  In  addition,  sev- 
eral serious  errors  of  judgment  were  committed, 
as  compared  with  the  almost  faultless  handling  of 
Columbia, 


3i6  American  Yachting 

For  the  third  attempt  Sir  Thomas  Lipton  went 
back  to  Mr.  Fife,  challenging  again  in  1902  for 
a  match  in  August  of  the  following  year,  the 
general  conditions  being  those  of  the  previous 
matches.  Again  a  syndicate  was  formed  for  the 
defence,  the  members  being  Elbert  H.  Gary, 
Clement  A.  Griscom,  James  J.  Hill,  William  B. 
Leeds,  Norman  B.  Ream,  William  Rockefeller, 
Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  Henry  Walters,  and  P.  A. 
B.  Widener,  and  an  order  was  placed  with  the 
Herreshoffs.  Arrangements  were  made  to  fit  out 
Columbia  under  E.  D.  Morgan's  management, 
with  Captain  "  Lem  "  Miller  as  skipper,  and  Con- 
stitution, under  the  management  of  Mr.  Belmont, 
with  Captain  Rhodes  in  command.  C.  Oliver 
Iselin  again  consented  to  undertake  the  manage- 
ment of  the  new  yacht,  Reliance,  selecting  Captain 
Barr  as  skipper. 

Shamrock  III,  the  new  challenger,  proved  a 
beautifully  modelled  Fife  cutter,  of  the  latest 
semi-fin  type,  but  in  a  way  suggestive  of  Minerva 
in  the  fairness  of  her  form  and  her  moderate 
power.  She  was  plated  with  nickel  steel,  which 
in  turn  was  coated  with  a  white  enamel,  giving 
a  smooth,  hard  surface  but  little,  if  any,  inferior 
to  the  polished  bronze  of  all  the  defenders  from 
Vigilant  down. 


I 


Lipton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks       317 


The  question  of  the  type  to  be  selected  by  N. 
G.  Herreshoff  for  his  new  model  was  generally 
discussed  by  yachtsmen  in  view  of  the  develop- 
ment of  the  scow  principle  in  the  smaller  classes, 
and  it  was  no  surprise  when,  in  spite  of  all  at- 
tempts at  secrecy,  it  became  known  that  he  had 
made  a  radical  departure  from  the  sequence  of 
Defender,  Columbia,  and  Constitution,  On  ap- 
proximately the  same  water-line,  breadth,  and 
draft,  the  depth  of  body  was  decreased,  mak- 
ing less  dead-rise,  or  a  flatter  floor,  with  a  round 
bilge  after  the  canoe  form ;  and  with  this  midship 
section  as  a  basis,  the  fore-and-aft  lines  were  car- 
ried out  very  straight  and  flat,  giving  a  full  water- 
line  and  very  long  overhangs,  nearly  28  feet 
forward  and  over  26  feet  aft.  While  Reliance 
cannot  be  classed  as  a  scow,  she  is  a  wide  depar- 
ture from  the  more  conventional  forms  of  her 
predecessors. 

As  one  consequence  of  her  extreme  area  of 
water-line,  she  was  enabled  to  carry  to  advantage 
an  excessive  sail  plan,  in  all  16,160  square  feet, 
or  2000  in  excess  of  that  of  Shamrock  III,  and 
as  much  as  the  combined  areas  of  Puritan  and 
Mayflower,  The  construction  was  identical  with 
that  of    Constitution,      Beginning  very   early  in 


31 8  American  Yachting 

the  season,  these  three  yachts  sailed  many  races, 
so  that  hulls,  gear,  and  spars  were  thoroughly 
tested,  crews  were  drilled,  and  sails  tried  and 
altered.  Columbia  failed  to  make  as  good  a 
showing  as  when  handled  by  Captain  Barr ;  Con- 
stitution showed  an  improvement  over  her  first 
season,  but  not  sufficient  to  redeem  herself  as  a 
defender;  and  Reliance,  after  doing  good  work 
in  both  light  and  heavy  weather,  was  selected. 

The  first  attempt  at  a  race  was  made  on 
August  20,  and  the  third  race  was  sailed  on 
September  3.  Between  these  dates  nine  different 
attempts  were  made,  and  the  yachts  were  started 
six  times,  three  times  failing  to  finish  after  half 
the  course  had  been  sailed.  The  weather  on  most 
occasions  was  light,  the  best  race  being  that  over 
the  triangular  course,  in  a  light  to  moderate 
breeze,  the  two  being  in  close  company  all  day, 
and  Reliance  winning  by  a  little  over  one  minute, 
corrected  time.  Shamrock  failed  to  score  one 
race  of  the  series,  and  in  the  final  meeting  she 
failed  to  finish,  owing  to  a  dense  fog,  though 
Reliance  made  the  line  in  quick  time. 

In  this  match  the  question  of  type  and  model 
was  involved  to  a  more  important  degree  than 
in  any  previous  one  since  the  meeting  of  Genesta 


I 


Lipton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks       319 


and  Puritan.  Shamrock  III  embodied  the  prin- 
ciple so  apparent  in  Minerva,  of  moderate  dimen- 
sions and  form,  and  economy  of  driving  power. 
While  in  one  way  an  extreme,  she  was  closely 
allied  to  the  cutter  type,  and  her  success  would 
have  been  followed  by  a  reaction  in  favor  of  more 
normal  ideas  in  designing.  Reliance,  on  the 
other  hand,  as  compared  with  Columbia,  Consti- 
tution^ and  Shamrock  III,  represented  a  new  and 
extreme  step  in  the  development  of  the  racing 
machine,  her  whole  form  being  confessedly  bad 
for  all  purposes  but  Cup  racing.  The  mere  fact 
that  she  won  three  straight  races  has  been  gen- 
erally accepted  as  satisfactory  proof  that  all  fast 
yachts  in  the  future  must  follow  her,  rather  than 
Shamrock  III,  in  form  and  power. 

The  conditions  of  the  races  were  such  as  to 
throw  grave  doubt  on  the  accuracy  of  this  popu- 
lar verdict,  by  which  one  boat  is  recognized  as 
a  great  success,  and  the  other  as  a  complete  fail- 
ure. As  in  all  similar  contests  of  recent  years, 
the  general  management  of  the  defender,  as  well 
as  the  individual  work  of  her  skipper  at  the  wheel 
and  in  the  care  of  his  canvas  and  training  and 
command  of  his  crew,  was  immeasurably  superior 
to  that  of  the  challenger.     The  latter  was  skil- 


320  American  Yachting 

fully  sailed,  but  there  was  not  the  care,  the  vigi- 
lance, and  the  attention  to  petty  detail  which  was 
apparent  in  Reliance,  just  as  it  was  formerly  in 
Columbia  and  Defe^tder,  Then,  too,  the  light 
weather  was  distinctly  in  favor  of  the  yacht  with 
the  larger  sails,  as  there  was  not  a  moment  dur- 
ing the  long  series  when  she  could  not  carry  a 
club-topsail  easily. 

The  whole  tendency  of  international  racing 
in  all  classes  has  been  to  minimize  the  importance 
of  model  and  construction,  and  to  increase  the 
influence  of  the  three  persons  necessary  to  the 
success  of  every  yacht,  the  designer,  owner,  and 
skipper.  The  most  important  part  of  the  de- 
signer's work  is  not  the  mere  shaping  of  the  hull 
and  the  planning  of  the  construction,  as  all  work 
according  to  the  same  general  principles  and  any 
improvement  by  one  is  soon  adopted  by  others ; 
the  main  point  lies  above  the  deck,  in  providing 
a  sail  plan  properly  proportioned  to  the  power  of 
the  hull,  and  a  rig  that,  while  reduced  to  the  last 
limit  of  lightness,  is  at  the  same  time  strong 
enough  to  give  the  necessary  support  to  the 
sails.  In  this  work  the  mere  copying  of  super- 
ficial details  counts  for  nothing,  but  the  designer 
must  rely  on  himself  and  know  that  his  rig  is 


Upton  and  the  Three  Shamrocks       321 

right,  and  that  it  is  as  Hght  as  it  can  be  made. 
In  this  respect  the  work  of  N.  G.  Herreshoff 
stands  alone  in  racing  yachts,  just  as  the  work 
of  Gary  Smith  does  in  cruising  craft. 

Without  an  exception  the  owners  of  the  differ- 
ent yachts  which  have  attempted  to  regain  the 
America  Gup  have  known  comparatively  little 
about  their  yachts.  Lieutenant  Henn  was  a 
thorough  sailor,  an  expert  navigator  and  cruising 
yachtsman,  and  accustomed  to  racing  after  the 
old  methods,  but  he  never  fully  understood  the 
great  game  of  Gup  racing.  The  others  who  pre- 
ceded or  followed  him  were  still  less  familiar  with 
it,  depending  of  necessity  upon  their  skipper  or 
some  friend.  From  the  era  of  the  Burgess  boats 
the  defence  of  the  Gup  has  been  in  the  hands 
of  educated  men,  with  ample  time  and  means 
at  their  disposal,  who  have  made  it  their  busi- 
ness to  study  Gup  racing  as  a  scientific  game 
rather  than  a  sport.  General  Paine  was  neither 
a  naval  architect  nor  a  designer,  and  he  never 
touched  the  wheel  on  any  of  his  boats ;  but  his 
personality  was  one  of  the  first  causes  of  the 
success  of  Puri tarty  Mayflower,  and  Volunteer. 
He  assumed  a  certain  part  of  the  work,  distinct 
from  that  of   designer  and   skipper,  he   studied 


322  American  Yachting 

it  until  he  knew  it  perfectly,  and  he  made  a 
success  of  it.  Mr.  Iselin  has  done  the  same  in 
later  years,  living  on  his  boats  throughout  the 
season,  leading,  inspiring,  and  encouraging  those 
under  him.  It  is  the  same  story  in  other  races 
in  the  small  classes.  Success  has  been  won 
not  by  mere  merit  of  model,  nor  even  by  skill  at 
the  stick,  but  by  laborious  work  on  the  part  of 
the  owner  as  well  as  the  skipper  throughout  the 
season. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  work  of  the  crack 
racing  skipper  was  limited  to  the  mere  handling 
of  a  yacht  in  a  race,  but  to-day  it  is  different. 
There  is  still  demanded  quite  as  much  skill  in 
the  handling  of  wheel  or  tiller,  and  quite  as  keen 
judgment  of  weather  and  as  complete  a  knowl- 
edge of  racing  rules;  but  even  above  these  is 
the  ability  to  develop  the  innate  qualities  of  a 
new  yacht  and  a  new  crew.  More  than  ever 
before,  the  successful  skipper  must  be  a  practi- 
cal engineer  in  a  broad  sense,  having  some  idea 
of  the  strains  to  which  his  rig  will  be  subjected, 
and  being  able  to  keep  in  perfect  tune  the  deli- 
cate machine  with  which  the  designer  has  pro- 
vided him. 


CHAPTER   XX 

RACING   AND    CRUISING    IN    SMALL   YACHTS 

The  Genesta  challenge  and  the  building  of 
Priscilla  and  Puritan  brought  yachting  into 
general  prominence  throughout  the  whole  coun- 
try, and  the  subsequent  victory  of  the  "  Yankee  " 
yacht  established  the  sport  forever  on  a  national, 
in  place  of  a  local,  foundation.  The  immediate 
stimulus  was  felt  in  those  localities  where  yacht- 
ing was  already  established,  and  in  others  where 
the  natural  conditions  favored  it;  and  a  deep 
and  lasting  interest  was  awakened  among  the 
people  at  large  in  localities  where  the  lack  of 
suitable  water  made  direct  participation  impossi- 
ble. There  was  aroused  on  the  part  of  the  whole 
nation  a  feeling  of  pride  in  its  patriotic  yachts- 
men, its  skilful  designers  and  bold  sailors  who  had 
added  to  the  long  list  of  naval  victories  of  the 
past  a  new  and  worthy  record  in  a  peaceful, 
but  none  the  less  serious  and  important,  contest. 

The  match  between  Spruce  and  Ethelwynn 
ten  years  later,  terminating  in  another  victory, 

323 


324  American  Yachting 

extended  the  work  by  making  yachting  possible 
in  localities  where  it  was  previously  unknown. 
The  direct  effects  of  the  America  Cup  contests 
were  naturally  limited  to  the  yacht  proper,  decked 
craft  of  from  30  to  40  feet  water-line  upward,  and 
navigable  only  in  a  couple  of  fathoms  of  water; 
but  the  fight  of  the  15-footers  showed  that  quite 
as  good  racing  was  possible  in  yachts  drawing 
but  6  inches  at  anchor  and  sailing  with  board 
down  in  4  or  5  feet  at  most. 
/  The  publicity  given  to  the  sport  by  the  daily 
^ press,  and  the  large  amount  of  technical  detail 
published  by  the  special  yachting  journals,  aided 
greatly  in  introducing  the  sport  in  many  remote 
and  isolated  localities. 

At  the  present  time  the  small  yacht  is  quite 
as  much  a  national  institution  as  her  larger  sis- 
ter, as  numerous  in  point  of  mere  numbers,  and 
demanding  the  same  high  qualifications  on  the 
part  of  owner,  designer,  and  builder.  While  the 
once  universal  cat-boat,  with  her  simple  and 
primitive  rig  and  crude  fittings,  was  nothing 
more  than  a  "  sail-boat,"  —  to  use  a  familiar  term, 
—  the  modern  small  boat  is  in  every  sense  a  yacht. 
The  rules  under  which  small  yachts  are  designed 
and  raced  are  the  same,  or,  if  different,  quite  as 


Racing  and  Cruising  in  Small  Yachts    325 

complete  and  elaborate  as  those  of  the  largest 
classes.  The  design  of  a  successful  racing  yacht 
of  15  or  20  feet  measurement  demands  as  much 
ability  and  study  as  that  of  a  70-footer ;  in  fact, 
it  is  to  the  small  craft  exclusively  that  is  due 
the  very  complicated  and  elaborate  study  of  the 
scow  type  which  now  figures  so  prominently 
in  all  designing.  The  construction  of  the  small 
yacht  is  no  longer  intrusted  to  any  longshore 
boat-builder,  but  every  detail  is  planned  and 
studied  with  the  same  care  as  in  the  larger 
classes;  and  the  best  results  yet  obtained  have 
been  by  the  employment  of  the  same  elaborate 
calculations  of  strains  and  strength  of  materials 
that  are  necessary  in  the  case  of  a  big  bridge 
or  other  important  structure.  While  the  de- 
mand for  improvement  in  the  small  classes  has 
produced  many  competent  designers  and  build- 
ers among  the  professionals,  the  most  original 
and  successful  work,  both  in  designing  and  build- 
ing, has  been  done  by  amateurs  who  are  self- 
educated  in  yachting. 

Until  a  comparatively  recent  date  all  materials 
and  fittings  were  adapted  only  for  yachts  of 
medium  and  large  size;  the  small  sloops  and 
cat-boats  were  rigged,  fitted,  and  canvased,  not 


326  American  Yachting 

with  what  was  suitable  for  them,  but  with  what 
could  be  best  adapted  from  material  intended 
for  larger  craft.  The  rapid  development  of  the 
sailing  canoe  which  took  place  in  the  early 
eighties  wrought  a  great  improvement  in  this 
respect,  as  it  introduced  many  new  methods  of 
construction,  and  led  to  the  regular  manufacture 
of  a  distinct  line  of  small  blocks,  fittings,  cord- 
age, and  sail-cloth.  The  first  important  and  ex- 
tensive experiments  in  hollow  spars  were  made 
by  canoeists ;  and  they,  too,  were  the  first  to  use 
aluminum  at  a  time  when  its  cost  and  scarcity 
made  such  experiments  very  difficult. 

The  small  racing  and  cruising  boats  introduced 
by  some  of  the  older  canoeists  in  the  early  nine- 
ties, the  immediate  predecessors  of  the  15-foot 
class,  led  to  material  improvements  in  design  and 
construction,  to  a  larger  class  of  hollow  spars,  and 
to  the  introduction  of  many  new  and  necessary 
fittings.  To  this  class  is  directly  due  the  produc- 
tion of  wooden  blocks  of  small  size  but  equal  in 
quality  to  those  in  use  on  large  yachts,  and  also 
the  improvements  in  materials  for  small  sails  and 
in  the  cutting  and  making  of  such  sails  by  the 
sailmakers. 

With   the   way  thus   paved  by  canoeing,  the 


Racing  and  Cruising  in  Small  Yachts    327 

general  use  of  the  15-footer  in  1896  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  the  systematic  manufacture  of  every 
detail  of  yachting  equipment  in  miniature,  until 
at  the  present  time  the  owner  of  the  smallest  rac- 
ing or  cruising  yacht  may  fit  and  rig  her  as  per- 
fectly as  though  she  were  a  90-footer. 

The  successful  racing  of  a  sand-bag  boat  called 
for  a  high  degree  of  skill  and  nerve  on  the  part  of 
the  skipper ;  and  at  least  a  few  of  his  numerous 
crew  were  required  to  possess  other  qualifications 
than  mere  weight  and  agility  in  tossing  sand-bags. 
At  the  same  time  racing  was  in  a  crude  and  primi- 
tive condition,  both  as  to  rules  and  general  usage, 
and  as  to  those  details  outside  of  actual  handling 
of  the  stick,  which  are  now  indispensable  to  suc- 
cess. Racing  in  the  small  classes  to-day  is  an  art, 
governed  by  the  same  rules  and  usages  as  in  the 
largest  yachts,  and  acquired  only  by  long  and  care- 
ful study  in  addition  to  some  natural  ability. 

Just  how  much  an  amateur  must  know  of  prac- 
tical designing,  construction,  rigging,  and  sail- 
making  to  make  him  a  successful  skipper  is  an 
open  question,  much  depending  on  circumstances ; 
but  it  is  a  fact  beyond  dispute  that  while  some 
may  succeed  through  sheer  ability  in  sailing,  the 
more  a  man  knows  about  his  boat,  the  better  he 


/ 


328  American  Yachting 

will  be  able  to  sail  her.  Great  as  it  may  be,  his 
skill  at  the  stick  and  sheet  will  some  day  be 
matched  against  that  of  another  as  skilful  as  he 
in  these  matters  and  who  has  at  the  same  time 
designed  and  built  his  own  boat,  rigged  her,  and 
tried  her  until  he  knows  her  every  weakness. 

The  conditions  of  modern  yachting,  especially 
in  the  small  classes,  are  such  as  to  induce  the 
Corinthian  sailor,  if  at  all  in  love  with  the  sport, 
to  study  it  in  every  branch.  There  are  many  who 
never  rest  content  until  they  are  able  to  design, 
build,  rig,  and  sail  their  own  boats;  and  others 
who,  without  going  quite  so  far,  are  fully  qualified 
to  discuss  a  design  with  the  designer,  to  criticise 
the  construction  as  it  progresses,  and  to  make 
suggestions,  and  in  the  end  to  know  the  boat  so 
thoroughly  that  they  can  develop  all  the  speed 
f  which  she  is  capable. 

The  growth  of  the  literature  of  yachting,  both 
periodical  and  that  of  a  more  permanent  nature, 
has  been  in  proportion  to  the  development  of  the 
sport;  and  the  modern  yachtsman's  library  includes 
everything,  from  a  simple  handbook  instructing 
the  beginner  in  the  building  of  a  skipjack  or 
cheap  one-design  boat,  up  to  elaborate  treatises 
on  design  and  navigation.     With  the  aid  thus 


Racing  and  Cruising  in  Small  Yachts    329 

afforded,  and  the  facility  with  which  all  supplies 
and  materials  may  be  obtained,  the  number  of 
really  skilful  designers  and  builders  has  increased 
until  there  is  hardly  a  lake  or  a  broad  stretch  of 
river  in  any  well-populated  section  which  does 
not  boast  of  its  small  yachts  and,  perhaps,  of  a 
club  and  fleet  of  more  than  local  reputation.  The 
demand  for  fast  yachts  and  the  competition  and 
stimulus  of  the  Corinthian  owner  and  designer 
have  done  much  to  improve  the  work  of  the  pro- 
fessional builder,  as  is  well  shown  on  the  Minnesota 
and  Wisconsin  lakes.  Some  of  the  fastest  yachts 
are  purely  of  amateur  design,  while  a  really  very 
high  class  of  light  construction  is  turned  out  by 
men  who  were  not  originally  boat-builders,  but 
Scandinavian  sailors  of  some  natural  ability  who, 
with  the  aid  of  amateur  yachtsmen,  have  in  time 
mastered  the  art  of  building. 

The  rules  and  conditions  for  the  Seawanhaka 
cup  and  other  trophies  of  the  smaller  classes  were 
originally  framed  with  great  care  by  representa- 
tives of  different  nations  and  embody  the  accepted 
usage  of  the  yachting  world.  These  rules  and  con- 
ditions have  been  widely  distributed  among  such 
clubs,  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  as  might  be 
desirous  of  sending  yachts  to  the  trial  races,  the 


330  American  Yachting 

result  being  that  a  very  high  standard  of  racing 
ethics  is  generally  recognized. 

In  any  locality  where  water,  even  in  a  compara- 
tively Hmited  area,  is  to  be  found,  good  yachting 
is  possible  to  those  who  really  love  it.  With  a 
pond  or  small  lake  which  will  admit  of  a  triangle 
of  half-mile  sides  and  having  a  minimum  depth  of 
even  five  feet,  there  can  be  established  a  fleet  of 
any  one  of  several  different  types  in  which  the 
closest  possible  racing  may  be  had.  The  small 
scow  of  about  12  feet  water-line,  such  as  may  be 
built  in  a  one-design  class  for  $50  each,  will  give 
as  hot  racing  as  a  pair  of  90-footers ;  and  each 
owner  can  find  ample  scope  for  his  industry  and 
intelligence  in  maintaining  his  boat  and  rig  in 
perfect  condition  and  getting  a  little  more  out  of 
both  than  any  of  his  competitors  can  do  with 
theirs. 

If  the  water  is  such  as  to  afford  opportunities 
for  pleasure  sailing  or  fishing,  or  if  ladies  are  to 
be  carried,  a  model  with  some  freeboard  and  sheer, 
such  as  the  first  15-footers,  or  the  newer  17-footers, 
of  the  Royal  St.  Lawrence  Yacht  Club,  is  prefera- 
ble, —  smart,  able  little  boats,  drier  and  more  com- 
fortable than  the  flat,  flush-decked  scow,  and  but 
little  slower.     Fitted  with  a  metal  centre-board, 


Racing  and  Cruising  in  Small  Yachts    331 

either  of  these  types  may  be  permanently  moored 
in  less  than  a  foot  of  water,  and  may  be  sailed 
in  a  depth  of  five  feet,  if  no  more  can  be  had. 
Where  deeper  water  permits,  the  same  models, 
fitted  with  fin  keels,  drawing  perhaps  four  feet  at 
all  times,  offer  certain  advantages.  Where  abso- 
lutely necessary,  the  centre-board  boats  may  be 
housed  or  drawn  up  on  the  beach  with  a  simple 
set  of  ways. 

With  a  depth  of  upward  of  seven  feet  over  the 
sailing  course,  the  yachts  may  be  large  enough 
to  compete  in  association  or  inter-club  races  or 
for  the  Seawanhaka  cup,  opening  a  much  broader 
field  of  sport,  and  bringing  the  club  into  close 
contact  with  other  organizations.  In  many  cases 
the  one-design  class  will  be  found  the  most  satis- 
factory, the  cost  being  reduced  and  the  interest 
in  the  racing  being  more  sustained.  Where  the 
sailing  men  are  also  interested  in  designing,  the 
restricted  class  offers  a  scope  for  amateur  talent 
and  at  the  same  time  some  limitation  is  placed  on 
that  rapid  outbuilding  which  will  sooner  or  later 
kill  the  class.  Where  the  club  aspires  to  other 
than  local  races,  the  class  must,  as  a  rule,  be  an 
open  one,  under  only  such  general  conditions  as 
govern  the  local  association  or  some  special  trophy. 


332  American  Yachting 

Where  the  local  yachting  ground  communi- 
cates with  other  waters,  the  opportunities  for  the 
sport  are  greatly  extended  and  cruising  comes 
in  as  a  rule.  Where  depth,  both  on  the  moor- 
ing ground  and  the  sailing  course,  is  limited  as 
before,  or  where  there  are  few  facilities  for  haul- 
ing up,  it  may  be  necessary  to  adhere  to  the 
shoal-draft  hull  with  centre-board;  but  even  in 
this  case  a  well-designed  boat,  with  adequate 
freeboard  and  sheer  and  well-proportioned  rig 
and  ballast,  should  be  fit  for  cruising  on  moder- 
ately open  water.  Even  under  these  conditions 
the  small  scows  are  sometimes  used  for  a  purely 
racing  class,  being  able  and  seaworthy  enough, 
though  wet  and  uncomfortable;  but  for  a  small 
and  inexpensive  class  on  open  water  the  dory 
type  has  much  to  recommend  it.  These  boats 
are  built  complete  with  mainsail  and  jib  for 
^40  to  $50 ;  and  while  giving  good  racing  in  a 
one-design  class,  they  are  also  fitted  for  fishing, 
rowing,  and  afternoon  sailing,  being  both  safer 
and  more  comfortable,  especially  for  ladies,  than 
the  scow. 

Where  light  draft  is  important,  as  in  so  many 
locations,  on  the  anchorage  grounds  and  in  cer- 
tain places,  while  an  able  model  is  required  for 


Racing  and  Cruising  in  Small  Yachts    333 


Cape  Cod  Cat-boat. 


334  American  Yachting 

open  and  rough  water,  the  Cape  Cod  cat-boat,  — 
which,  by  the  way,  is  now  generally  a  sloop, — 
has  many  advantages  in  point  of  speed,  handiness, 
and  safety.  It  has  been  improved  on  in  some 
modem  types,  but  in  its  primitive  form,  as  built 
twenty  years  ago,  it  was  the  best  centre-board 
boat  afloat.  In  even  the  smaller  sizes,  of  17  to 
18  feet,  a  small  cuddy  is  possible,  giving  a  dry 
stowage  for  clothes  and  bedding  and  space  for 
two  to  sleep,  and  with  3  or  4  feet  more  length 
a  good  little  cabin  may  be  had,  though  the  inevi- 
table centre-board  trunk  partly  spoils  it. 

With  a  depth  of  5  or  6  feet  and  upward  to 
moor  in,  the  keel  type  becomes  possible,  —  the 
nearer  to  the  primitive  form  of  the  first  knock- 
about, the  better  for  general  use.  If  racing  is 
the  sole  object,  the  class  may  be  an  open  one, 
of  18  or  21  feet  under  the  old  Seawanhaka  rule; 
a  restricted  one,  such  as  the  knockabout ;  or  a  one- 
design, —  usually  the  cheapest.  In  many  cases 
it  is  more  desirable  that  the  boats  shall  be  capa- 
ble of  use  in  day  sailing  and  week-end  or  longer 
cruises,  for  which  the  waters  are  fitted,  as  well 
as  for  racing,  —  to  which  end  the  knockabout 
rules  or  similar  restrictions  will  be  necessary  to 
exclude  freaks  and  racing  machines. 


Racing  and  Cruising  in  Small  Yachts   335 

The  general  tendency  of  yachting  is  to  foster 
speed  at  the  expense  of  all  other  qualities;  and 
even  where  restrictions  are  in  use,  the  yachts 
are  commonly  designed  for  racing  first,  with 
cruising  as  incidental.  There  are  many  yachts- 
men, however,  whose  chief  joy  is  in  cruising 
in  small  craft,  either  single-handed  or  with  one 
or  two  companions.  To  these  a  wide  choice  of 
craft  is  open.  '  There  are  always  to  be  found  some 
ex-racers  that  are  sufficiently  good  in  model  and 
strong  in  construction  to  warrant  some  outlay 
in  alteration  and  refitting;  the  design  perhaps 
being  good  for  cruising,  the  planking  of  mahog- 
any, the  sails  capable  of  alteration,  and  the  fit- 
tings of  bronze.  When  it  comes  to  building, 
there  are  always  good  designs  available  in  the 
yachting  journals,  the  owner  using  his  own  dis- 
cretion in  arranging  the  cabin  and  altering  the 
details  to  his  special  use.  Even  where  cruising 
is  the  main  end,  it  is  desirable  if  in  any  way 
practicable,  to  build  to  the  limits  of  some  estab- 
lished class,  as  it  is  very  likely  that  sooner  or 
later  the  owner  may  wish  to  do  a  little  racing, 
or  he  may  have  a  chance  to  sell  to  some  one 
who  cares  for  both  racing  and  cruising.  It  is 
a    very   common    thing    for    even    experienced 


33^  American  Yachting 

yachtsmen  to  build  without  regard  to  class 
limits  because  they  have  no  idea  of  racing, 
when  with  a  little  thought  and  planning  the 
design  might  have  been  conformed  to  a  class. 
Ultimately  the  boat  proves  fast  and  the  owner 
is  seized  w^ith  the  racing  fever,  but  through  some 
slight  excess  of  dimensions  the  yacht  cannot 
enter  in  a  class. 

In  every  locality  where  yachts  are  at  all  numer- 
ous there  is  always  a  demand  for  good  Corin- 
thians; and  the  mere  fact  that  a  man  does  not 
own  a  yacht,  and  does  not  know  how  to  sail,  is 
of  itself  no  bar  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  sport. 
There  are  always  owners  who  are  on  the  look- 
out for  good  material,  no  matter  how  raw,  pro- 
vided it  is  good.  If  the  learner  is  willing  to 
have  nothing  to  say  except  to  ask  absolutely 
necessary  questions,  to  observe  carefully  what 
goes  on  about  him,  to  work  hard  at  whatever 
he  is  told  to  do,  and  to  learn  all  the  little  things 
thoroughly  as  they  present  themselves,  he  will 
never  be  a  nuisance,  and  he  will  soon  be  able 
to  help  in  earnest.  He  must  take  things  as 
they  come,  never  grumbling  at  those  numerous 
discomforts  and  inconveniences  which  are  inevi- 
table; he  must  do  a  full  share  of  the  work  will- 


Racing  and  Cruising  in  Small  Yachts    337 

ingly;  and  he  must  never  worry  about  getting 
back  ashore.  If  really  ambitious,  he  can  pick 
up  a  good  deal  by  reading  and  study  that  will 
help  him  in  applying  the  everyday  work  as  an 
amateur  deck  hand  to  the  broader  knowledge 
of  yachting  in  all  its  branches. 

The  racing  side  of  yachting  has  always  been 
the  more  prominent  and  conspicuous,  and  the 
specialization  of  racing  craft  in  recent  years  has 
insured  for  them  almost  a  monopoly  of  the  atten- 
tion of  designers;  at  the  same  time  there  has 
been  a  great  improvement  in  cruising  yachts  and 
a  multiplication  of  sizes  and  types.  The  range  of 
cruising  craft  at  the  present  time  extends  from 
the  canoe  yawl  or  canoe  yacht  of  17  or  18  feet 
length,  easily  handled  by  any  experienced  boy,  and 
giving  room  for  a  companion  of  similar  Spartan 
tastes,  up  to  the  auxiliary  of  several  hundred  tons ; 
each  separate  size,  down  to  the  smallest,  being 
designed  by  experts  in  its  particular  class,  built 
with  the  same  skill  as  is  employed  in  racing 
yachts,  and  fitted  with  parts  and  gear  specially 
designed  and  made  for  it.  The  man  who  really 
knows  what  he  wants  in  the  way  of  a  cruising 
yacht,  small  or  large,  can  find  it  to  perfection,  and 
is  no  longer  compelled  to  put  up  with  something 


33^  American  Yachting 

that  is  unsuitable  in  size,  type,  and  fitting  for  his 
special  work. 

Yacht  racing  is  of  necessity  a  technical  sport, 
to  be  followed  successfully  only  by  those  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  a  complicated  mass  of  tech- 
nical detail.  The  practical  experience  of  a  century 
of  yacht  racing  is  to-day  crystallized  in  the  form 
of  some  two  score  of  sailing  rules,  those  of  Amer- 
ica, Great  Britain,  and  other  countries  having  a 
common  origin  and  being  closely  identical.  No 
man  should  attempt  either  the  management  of 
racing  as  one  of  a  committee,  or  the  sailing  of  a 
yacht  in  a  race,  until  he  is  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  particular  set  of  rules  in  use,  and  pre- 
pared to  abide  by  them  to  the  last  letter.  The 
plea  is  sometimes  made  that,  as  yacht  racing  is 
only  followed  for  pleasure,  the  rules  should  be  as 
few  and  simple  as  possible  and  less  rigidly  en- 
forced than  in  matters  of  business.  Such  a 
course,  if  followed,  will  eventually  result  in  dis- 
cord and  ill  feeling  and  the  end  of  all  sport.  A 
long  experience  has  proved  that  only  through  a 
high  standard  of  rules,  so  rigidly  enforced  as  to 
secure  their  observance  by  all  parties,  can  the 
sport  be  kept  free  from  those  dissensions  which 
have  at  times  been  so  harmful. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

STEAM   YACHTING   IN    AMERICA 

The  men  who  made  American  yachting  were 
essentially  seamen,  loving  the  sea  for  itself  and 
their  yachts  as  a  means  of  controlling  and  com- 
manding its  mighty  power.  To  them  sail  was 
everything,  and  the  thought  of  employing  any 
such  mechanical  means  as  steam  in  their  battle 
with  Neptune  was  utterly  foreign  to  their  ideal  of 
yachting.  The  Stevens  family  was  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  experimental  development  of  steam 
navigation  and  later  in  its  commercial  develop- 
ment. While  following  yachting  as  a  pleasure, 
they  were  at  the  same  time  busy  with  experimen- 
tal work  in  steam  engineering  and  in  both  the 
business  and  technical  side  of  steamboat  work 
on  the  Delaware  and  the  Hudson ;  but  there  is 
no  record  of  any  proposal  on  their  part  to  adapt 
steam  to  purely  pleasure  purposes. 

The  origin  of  the  steam  yacht  is  due  to  men 
who  cared  little  for  yachting,  but  were  commer- 
cially interested  in  steam  navigation.      What  was 

339 


340  American  Yachting 

nominally  a  very  extensive  venture  for  the  day 
was  the  cruise  of  the  "steam  yacht"  North 
Star,  built  in  1852  for  Commodore  Vanderbilt, 
in  which,  accompanied  by  a  party  of  twenty-five 
relatives  and  friends,  he  made  a  cruise  of  six 
months'  duration  in  the  following  year,  visiting 
many  European  ports.  The  North  Star  was 
really  a  wooden  side-wheel  passenger  steamer  of 
^2000  tons,  and  though  specially  built  and  fitted 
for  this  cruise,  she  was  afterward  used  in  regular 
passenger  service.  The  whole  venture  was  rather 
the  personally  conducted  tour  of  a  wealthy  man 
than  a  yacht  cruise  in  the  true  sense,  and  the 
story  written  by  the  clergyman  Who  accompanied 
the  expedition  as  scribe  and  chronicler  is  remark- 
able for  its  utter  dearth  of  yachting  flavor. 

In  1854  another  wealthy  ship-owner,  William 
H.  Aspinwall,  of  New  York,  president  of  the 
Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  had  built  for 
a  special  purpose  a  small  experimental  steamer, 
the  Firefly,  She  was  of  wood,  97  feet  8  inches 
over  all,  19  feet  in  breadth,  5  feet  2  inches  in 
depth,  and  drew  3  feet  9  inches.  She  was  built 
by  Smith  &  Dimon,  ship-builders,  and  was  fitted 
with  an  experimental  device,  the  invention  of  a 
Frenchman,  —  a  paddle-wheel  enclosed  in  an  air- 


steam  Yachting  in  America  341 

tight  box  in  the  centre  of  the  hull.  The  experi- 
ment was  a  failure  and  Mr.  Aspinwall  had  the 
vessel  fitted  up  as  a  yacht,  her  power  being  the 
oscillating  marine  engine  with  feathering  paddle 
and  a  locomotive  boiler.  While  she  was  naturally 
used  for  cruising,  one  important  use  seems  to  have 
been  that  of  so  many  modern  steam  yachts,  as  a 
private  ferry-boat  between  her  owner's  home,  on 
Staten  Island,  and  New  York  City. 

Ten  years  later  a  steam  pleasure  vessel  was 
planned  and  built  for  Leonard  W.  Jerome,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  and  an  owner 
of  sailing  yachts.  The  Clarita,  built  by  Law- 
rence &  Foulks,  at  Williamsburg,  was  of  wood, 
125  feet  over  all,  121  feet  9  inches  water-line,  22 
feet  in  breadth,  9  feet  in  depth,  1 1  feet  6  inches  in 
draft,  and  of  231  tons.  Her  engines  were  built  by 
the  Novelty  Iron  Works,  —  two  cylinders,  22  by 
22  inches,  with  a  screw  9  feet  6  inches  in  diameter. 
In  the  same  year  R.  F.  Loper,  the  yacht  model- 
ler, of  Stonington,  Connecticut,  so  well  known 
from  his  sailing  yachts,  modelled  the  steam  yacht 
Wave,  and  she  was  built  by  Reaney  &  Neafie, 
in  Philadelphia.  Her  dimensions  were:  length 
over  all,  ^']  feet;  breadth,  19  feet  6  inches; 
depth,  7  feet;  draft,  5  feet;  with  two  cylinders, 


342  American  Yachting 

high  pressure,  each  12  by  18  inches,  driving  a 
screw. 

In  1868  Jacob  Lorillard,  one  of  the  family  of 
yachtsmen,  modelled  and  had  built  for  his  own 
use  a  steam  yacht,  the  second  Firefly,  of  67  feet 
over-all  length,  62  feet  water-line,  13  feet  breadth, 
and  5  feet  draft,  with  a  screw,  —  the  first  of  a 
large  number  of  steam  yachts,  of  gradually  in- 
creasing size,  which  owe  their  origin  to  him. 

Mr.  Aspinwall's  interest  in  steam  yachts,  though 
apparently  accidental,  was  by  no  means  transient. 
The  Firefly  was  in  course  of  time  sold  to  the 
United  States  Coast  Survey;  and  in  1871  she  was 
replaced  by  the  Day  Dream,  of  composite  con- 
struction, built  at  the  Continental  Iron  Works,  in 
Brooklyn,  her  length  over  all  being  1 1 5  feet ;  water- 
line,  109  feet;  breadth,  19  feet  6  inches;  depth, 
6 feet;  draft,  7  feet.  Her  engines,  vertical  con- 
densing, had  two  cylinders  14  by  14  inches,  driv- 
ing a  screw  7  feet  6  inches  in  diameter.  In  1873 
the  Ideal  was  modelled  and  built  by  J.  B.  Van 
Deusen  for  Theodore  A.  Havemeyer  and  Hugo 
Fritsch ;  in  the  same  year  the  America  was  de- 
signed by  Henry  Steers  and  built  at  Greenpoint 
for  Henry  N.  Smith;  in  1875  the  Ocean  Gem  was 
built  by  William  Force,  at  Keyport,  New  Jersey, 


steam  Yachting  in  America  343 

for  R.  E.  Ricker.  The  American  Yacht  List  of 
1874  records  twenty-one  steam  yachts,  of  which 
one  was  English  and  one  French,  while  several 
were  merely  small  launches. 

About  1876  the  Herreshoffs  began  the  build- 
ing of  small  open  and  cabin  launches,  their  work 
even  then  being  characterized  by  originality  and 
real  merit.  They  perfected  a  light  and  compact 
compound  launch  engine  and  a  coil  boiler,  also 
very  light  and  compact ;  this  plant  being  installed 
in  hulls  of  appropriate  dimensions  and  good  model, 
and  of  a  special  construction  materially  lighter 
and  in  some  ways  stronger  than  the  established 
practice.  These  hulls  were  built  of  many  small 
parts,  each  of  the  proper  wood,  carefully  fitted 
and  fastened,  making  a  very  different  boat  from 
the  ordinary  launch,  with  heavy  frames  far  apart 
and  wide  single-skin  planking  heavily  calked. 
The  business  was  gradually  extended  to  include 
some  of  the  first  torpedo-boats,  and  then  cabin 
yachts  of  sizes  up  to  one  hundred  feet,  and  finally 
into  a  larger  size  of  river  steam  yacht.  The  Her- 
reshoff  steam  yachts  have  been  distinguished  from 
their  origin  down  to  the  present  time  by  light 
construction  of  hull,  engines,  and  boilers,  speed 
and  many  good  qualities,  with  a   total   absence 


344  American  Yachting 

(  of  that  grace  and  style  which  is  commonly  con- 
\sidered  one  of  the  essential  attributes  of  a  yacht 
The  iron  steam  yacht  of  sea-going  type  was 
first  introduced  about  1880  and  soon  became  very 
popular,  the  owners  of  the  old  racing  schooners 
by  degrees  going  in  for  steam,  with  its  added 
speed  and  comfort ;  while  many  new  recruits  were 
attracted  to  the  ranks  of  yachting  by  the  fascina- 
tion of  owning  a  private  steam  vessel  in  which 
luxuries  that  were  impossible  in  the  sailing  yacht 
might  be  had  without  the  usually  attendant  incon- 
veniences and  discomforts  of  yachting. 

The  early  steam  yachts  were  in  many  respects 
defective.  They  were  not  the  product  of  any  delib- 
erate system  of  designing,  but  were  mainly  built 
from  models  cut  by  men  familiar  only  with  sailing 
yachts,  and  whose  adaptation  of  sailing  forms  to 
steam-yacht  practice  often  produced  grotesque 
results.  Like  the  sailing  models,  the  hulls  were 
lacking  in  depth,  they  had  very  little  freeboard, 

C^nd,  worst  of  all,  they  were  built  with  a  long  cabin 
trunk  that  was  in  itself  a  serious  element  of  dan- 
ger in  rough  water  and  at  the  same  time  robbed 
the  hull  of  the  necessary  strength  given  by  a  flush 

'^deck  and  continuous  deck  beams  in  the  centre  of 
the  vessel. 


steam  Yachting  in  America  345 

As  the  steam  yacht  approached  the  dignity  of 
a  permanent  institution,  throughout  the  eighties, 
and  its  special  adherents  began  to  appear  in  num- 
bers in  every  yacht  club,  the  demand  for  speed 
became  apparent.  The  effort  on  the  part  of  mod- 
ellers and  builders  to  attain  speeds  well  above 
the  current  practice,  though  in  most  cases  unsuc- 
cessful, had  a  decidedly  bad  influence  on  the 
type  of  yacht  produced.  The  early  British  steam 
yachts  resembled  their  sailing  sisters  in  solidity  I 
of  construction  and  simplicity  of  finish,  and  were,  I 
above  all  else,  eminently  seaworthy.  In  the 
American  steam  yacht,  however,  the  builder  was 
called  on  first  for  large  rooms,  with  elaborate'V 
furniture  and  fittings  and  a  great  weight  of 
plumbing,  marble  steps,  and  baths,  and  similar 
inappropriate  luxuries ;  and  after  this  he  was  ex- 
pected to  realize  a  speed  of  fifteen  to  eighteen/^ 
knots.  The  demands  for  cabin  space  naturally 
cut  down  the  room  left  for  machinery,  boilers, 
and  coal,  the  consequence  being  that  powerful 
engines  were  crowded  into  spaces  which  left  no 
room  for  the  firemen  and  engine-room  force,  the 
bunker  capacity  was  limited,  and  neither  officers 
nor  crew  had  decent  living  space.  Even  where 
the  work  of  planning  was  intrusted  to  a  compe- 


34^  American  Yachting 


t> 


tent  yacht  designer,  the  impossible  demands  of 
the  owner  made  a  partial  failure  almost  inevita- 
ble; and  where,  as  was  commonly  the  case,  no 
designer  was  consulted,  the  plans  being  produced 
by  the  combined  talent  of  the  skipper  and  some 
builder,  the  result  was  much  worse. 

About  1885  a  new  influence  was  felt  through 
the  importation  by  American  yachtsmen  of  steam 
yachts  built  on  the  Clyde,  the  great  centre  of  this 
industry.  These  yachts,  such  as  Amy,  639  tons, 
were  designed  by  professional  yacht  designers, 
like  St.  Clare  J.  Byrne  and  George  L.  Watson, 
who  had  made  a  distinct  specialty  of  them ;  and 
they  were  originally  built  to  the  orders  of  experi- 
enced yachtsmen,  mostly  a  conservative  class  of 
deep-sea  cruisers.  The  yachts  were  remarkably 
successful  vessels,  and  their  faults  in  American 
eyes  were  due  to  the  difference  in  requirements. 
They  had  not  the  speed  demanded  on  short 
Spurts  between  New  York  and  Newport;  the 
apartments  were  sometimes  small,  being  intended 
^~lnainly  for  sea  cruising  in  a  damp  and  cool  cli- 
j  mate;  the  hatches,  skylights,  and  port-holes  did 
not  give  sufficient  air  and  light  for  Long  Island 
Sound  in  summer.  The  finish,  though  usually 
rich  and  elegant  and  admirably  fitted  for  a  yacht, 


steam  Yachting  in  America  347 

with  oak,  walnut,  mahogany,  and  teak  joiner-work 
and  leather  upholstery,  was  entirely  too  plain  for 
the  ladies  of  the  owner's  family,  who  preferred 
carved  and  gilded  woodwork,  and  a  profusion  of 
silken  upholstery,  panelling,  and  draperies,  re-\ 
gardless  of  the  effects  of  dust,  dampness,  and  salt 
air  on  such  a  style  of  decoration  in  a  vessel.  / 

After  the  failure  of  several  ambitious  attempts 
in  steam  yacht-building,  American  owners  began 
to  import  British  steam  yachts,  which  could  be 
bought  at  a  price  far  below  that  of  building  on 
the  Delaware ;  but  when  once  on  this  side,  these 
same  craft  were  usually  reconstructed  at  a  very 
great  expense  to  meet  the  ideas  of  the  new  own- 
ers. This  Clyde-ward  movement  was  viewed 
with  dismay  by  American  builders,  and  attempts 
were  made  to  stop  it  by  the  application  of  exist- 
ing laws  originally  intended  to  affect  only  mer- 
chant vessels  engaged  in  actual  trade.  In  1891 
the  steam  yacht  Conqueror,  imported  from  Eng- 
land by  F.  W.  Vanderbilt,  was  seized  by  the 
United  States  government  in  New  York  Har- 
bor and  placed  in  the  custody  of  United  States 
marshals,  while  her  owner  brought  suit  for  her 
recovery.  In  this  he  was  successful,  compelling 
the  government  to  relinquish  the    yacht  after  a 


348  American  Yachting 

long  lawsuit.  The  failure  of  this  and  similar 
attempts  sent  the  American  builders  to  Con- 
gress; and  after  several  years  of  agitation  the 
noted  Payne  Bill  was  passed  in  1897,  practically 
prohibiting  the  use  of  a  foreign-built  yacht  by  an 
American  citizen  in  American  waters.  The  bill, 
however,  was  so  faultily  drawn  that  it  failed  to 
effect  its  purpose,  and  though  still  a  law  it  has 
never  been  enforced. 

Not  only  has  the  purchase  of  second-hand 
British  yachts,  both  sail  and  steam,  continued 
with  only  a  slight  interruption  following  the 
enactment  of  the  law,  but  many  American  own- 
ers have  gone  to  Mr.  Watson  for  steam  yachts 
of  a  size,  speed,  and  elegance  of  appointment 
previously  unknown,  the  vessels  all  being  built 
on  the  Clyde.  Among  them  are  such  craft  as 
Mayflower,  Nahma,  Varuna,  and  Lysistrata, 

For  some  years  past  the  designing  of  steam 
yachts  has  been  in  the  hands  of  American 
designers,  —  Cary  Smith,  Gardner,  Wintringham, 
Gielow,  Seabury,  and  others,  —  and  with  a  better 
understanding  of  the  essential  limitations  of  the 
problem  on  the  part  of  owners  a  great  improve- 
ment has  been  made.  There  have  been  com- 
paratively few  attempts  to  compete  with  British 


steam  Yachting  in  America  349 

designers  in  the  field  of  sea-going  yachts,  the 
demand  for  this  type  being  limited  on  the  part 
of  American  yachtsmen ;  but  a  distinctive  Ameri- 
can type  has  been  produced  in  such  yachts  as 
Kanawha  //,  Hauoli  I  and  //,  Kismet^  and  Celt, 
The  type  is  designed  for  summer  use  about 
Long  Island  Sound  and  the  eastern  coast  as 
far  as  Mount  Desert,  but  mainly  for  short  runs, 
such  as  the  well-travelled  route  between  New 
York  and  Newport,  and  for  a  sort  of  house-boat 
service  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  New  York 
city,  picking  up  the  owner  in  the  afternoon  and 
carrying  him  up  the  Hudson,  outside  Sandy 
Hook,  or  to  Larchmont  or  Oyster  Bay  over 
night  and  landing  him  in  New  York  early  the 
following  morning.  A  modification  of  this  latter 
service  is  sometimes  demanded,  the  owner  merely 
using  the  yacht  to  carry  him  between  home  and 
office,  living  on  shore  at  night. 

The  characteristics  of  this  type  are  a  speed  of 
upward  of  twenty  knots  in  the  larger  sizes,  —  the 
faster  the  better,  —  on  such  dimensions  and  dis- 
placement as  will  give  large  apartments  for  the 
owner,  ample  space  for  the  engines,  a  reasonable 
bunker  capacity,  and  will  admit  of  a  consider- 
able weight  of  auxiliary  machinery,  such  as  the 


350  American  Yachting 

electric  lighting  plant,  ventilating,  machinery,  etc. 
The  boiler  question  is  simplified  by  the  use  of 
any  one  of  several  good  makes  of  water-tube 
boilers,  of  compact  form  and  light  weight  as 
compared  with  the  old  Scotch  boiler.  The  en- 
gines, usually  triple  expansion,  and  in  increas- 
ing number  driving  twin  screws,  are  of  special 
\  designs,  —  modifications  of  the  torpedo-boat  type, 
in  which  a  certain  amount  of  weight  has  been 
added  to  gain  durability  and  to  lessen  the  danger 
of  an  accidental  breakdown. 

Special  attention  is  given  to  the  arrangement. 
There  is  liberal  headroom  both  below  deck  and 
in  the  deck  houses,  with  many  and  large  open- 
ings for  light  and  air,  and  special  provisions  for 
forced  ventilation;  the  division  of  space  is  such 
as  to  give  large  and  comfortable  state-rooms  for 
the  owner  and  his  family,  and  usually  a  dining 
room  of  generous  proportions  for  entertaining. 
The  accompaniment  to  this,  the  galleys  and  pan- 
tries, are  on  a  corresponding  scale,  with  ample 
store-rooms  and  ice-boxes.  As  an  important  fac- 
tor in  the  domestic  economy  of  the  yacht  which 
owners  now  generally  recognize,  not  only  the 
officers,  but  the  petty  officers  and  crew,  are  well 
berthed  in    roomy  and   well-ventilated   quarters, 


steam  Yachting  in  America  351 

with  a  liberal  provision  of  bath-rooms  and  wash- 
stands.  The  plumbing  of  such  a  yacht  is  on  a 
very  extensive  scale,  running  water,  both  cold 
and  hot,  and  from  the  tanks  or  the  sea,  beings 
piped  to  all  parts,  even  the  forecastle,  with  auto- 
matic waste  and  drainage  system  quite  equal  to 
that  of  a  house  on  land  with  water  main  and 
sewer  connections.  While  this  type  may  to  a 
certain  extent  be  classed  as  but  a  cabin  launch 
of  extreme  size,  it  is,  nevertheless,  of  seaworthy 
form,  and  fitted  to  meet  any  weather  which  it 
is  likely  to  encounter  in  its  ordinary  coasting  > 
service. 

American  yachtsmen,  especially  those  doing 
business  in  New  York,  were  quick  to  appreciate 
the  great  advantage  which  a  private  yacht  has 
over  all  other  means  of  transit,  and  from  the 
days  of  the  Firefly  all  types  of  steam  yachts 
have  been  used  for  this  purpose  within  a  radius 
of  fifty  miles  of  the  city.  At  the  present 
time  it  is  one  of  the  sights  of  New  York 
Harbor  between  May  and  November,  from  8  to 
10  A.M.  and  3  to  5  P.M.,  when  a  procession 
of  steam  yachts  of  all  sizes  and  speeds  moves 
down  the  Hudson  and  the  East  rivers  to  the 
Battery    Landing   and   other  convenient   points, 


352  American  Yachting 

starting  up  again  at  the  latter  hours.  The 
yachtsman  is  wakened  in  his  suburban  home 
at  8  o'clock.  Donning  a  bath  robe,  he  makes  his 
way  to  the  landing  float,  dives  over,  and  after 
a  short  swim  is  at  the  companion-ladder  of  his 
yacht  out  in  the  stream.  His  clothing  awaits 
him  in  a  special  apartment  in  the  deck  house, 
convenient  to  the  gangway,  with  tiled  floor  and 
bath-tub  for  his  fresh-water  shower;  by  the  time 
he  has  begun  to  dress,  the  anchor  is  off  the 
ground  and  the  yacht  under  way;  breakfast  is 
ready  for  him  when  his  toilet  is  completed ;  and 
by  the  time  he  has  disposed  of  it  and  skimmed 
through  the  morning  papers  the  yacht  has 
stopped  and  the  launch  is  ready  at  the  gang- 
way to  land  him  somewhere  within  a  few  blocks 
of  his  city  office. 

Many  of  the  yachts  used  for  this  ferry  service 
in  the  past  were  manifestly  unfitted  for  it,  some  of 
them  through  a  size  that  fitted  them  for  a  cruise 
around  the  world  had  they  been  properly  de- 
signed, but  which  made  them  unsafe  to  them- 
selves and  to  the  other  craft  in  Hell  Gate,  the 
East  and  the  Hudson  rivers  abreast  the  city. 
Some  large  yachts  are  still  used  for  this  daily 
service  as  well  as  for  longer  runs,  but  there  has 


steam  Yachting  in  America  353 

come  into  use  of  late  years  a  special  type  of 
large  speed  launch,  of  75  to  100  feet  in  length, 
with  a  small  saloon,  state-room,  and  galley  for 
short  cruises,  but  used  mainly  for  daily  runs  of 
one  or  two  hours'  duration  between  home  and 
office.  Used  as  an  auxiliary  to  a  large  cruising 
yacht,  the  twenty-mile  launch  does  all  the  fast 
service,  and  the  larger  craft  may  consequently  be 
designed  for  a  sea  speed  of  twelve  to  fifteen  knots, 
giving  greatly  superior  accommodation  and  en- 
larged radius  of  steaming  at  a  less  cost  than  the 
eighteen-knot  cruiser. 

The  first  steam  launches  were  of  limited  utility, 
the  government  regulations  placing  them  on  the 
same  footing  as  large  passenger  steamers  and 
requiring  licensed  officers,  both  master  and  en- 
gineer. At  the  same  time  the  machinery  was  heavy 
and  bulky  and  could  be  placed  only  in  the  centre 
of  the  hull.  Though  the  steam  launch  was  in 
quite  extensive  use  in  the  early  eighties,  it  was  at 
best  an  incomplete  development.  About  1885  a 
new  power  was  introduced  in  the  "  naphtha  en- 
gine," a  small  steam-engine  of  very  simple  con- 
struction, with  a  light  coil  boiler,  naphtha  from  a 
tank  in  the  bow  being  piped  to  the  boiler,  where 
it  was  burned  under  the  coil,  a  part  of  the  supply 

2A 


354  American  Yachting 

being,  at  the  same  time,  vaporized  within  the  coil. 
This  device  had  many  advantages:  it  was  free 
from  government  restriction;  from  its  small  size 
and  light  weight  it  could  be  placed  in  the  ex- 
treme after  end  of  a  12-foot  boat;  and  the  opera- 
tion was  so  simple  that  it  was  readily  mastered 
by  any  one  of  ordinary  intelligence  without  a  spe- 
cial knowledge  of  machinery  and  boilers. 

The  first  use  of  the  new  power  was  in  yacht 
boats,  — gigs,  cutters,  and  even  dinghies  being  fit- 
ted up.  Certain  and  reliable  in  its  action  under  al- 
most any  conditions,  the  "  naphtha  engine  "  never 
tired,  no  matter  how  long  the  row  from  the  yacht 
to  the  shore,  or  how  heavy  the  wind  and  sea ;  and 
it  required  but  one  hand  to  run  it,  where  the  gig 
of  an  ordinary  schooner  yacht  might  require  four 
or  five  hands  for  a  long  pull,  leaving  a  small  crew 
on  board.  Its  use  did  not  stop  here,  as  it  was 
soon  installed  in  pleasure  launches  of  30  feet 
or  so  and  upward,  either  open  or  cabin.  These 
boats  found  ready  favor,  not  only  with  old  yachts- 
men, but  with  many  whose  tastes  lay  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  water  but  who  were  unable  to  use  a 
sailing  yacht.  Year  by  year  they  have  increased 
in  number,  in  size,  and  in  quality,  until  for  some 
years  past  they  have  formed  a  very  important 
division  of  the  pleasure  fleet. 


steam  Yachting  in  America  355 

A  still  more  recent  development  is  the  "  explo- 
sion motor,"  "gasoline  motor,"  "gas  engine,"  or 
"internal-combustion  motor,"  as  it  is  called,  in 
which  the  gasoline  or  similar  hydro-carbon  used 
for  fuel  is  injected  into  the  cylinder  with  a  mix- 
ture of  air  and  there  exploded  by  the  electric 
spark,  thus  doing  away  with  boiler,  furnace,  and 
actual  fire  in  the  vessel.  Though  yet  in  its  in- 
fancy in  marine  work,  the  gasoline  motor  is  used 
almost  all  over  the  world  in  the  propulsion  of 
yachts  and  other  craft  up  to  75  feet  in  length, 
the  limit  in  size  and  power  of  engine  and  size  of 
hull  increasing  every  year. 

The  limited  size  and  weight,  the  very  compact 
form,  the  absence  of  fire,  and  the  use  of  liquid 
fuel  piped  from  a  tank  which  may  be  placed  at 
any  distance  from  the  motor,  make  this  by  far  the 
most  convenient  power  yet  put  in  a  vessel;  and 
it  is  applied  to-day  to  all  classes,  from  the  yacht 
dinghy,  the  small  open  launch,  and  the  cabin 
launch,  up  to  cabin  craft  of  size  and  power 
that  fit  them  for  long  cruises  on  open  water. 

There  was  a  time,  a  few  years  ago,  when  the 
depressed  condition  of  yacht  racing,  the  growing 
demands  on  the  time  of  even  wealthy  Americans, 
and  the  advantages  of  the  power  launch  in  point 


35^  American  Yachting 

of  speed,  excitement,  and  certainty  of  reaching  port 
at  a  given  time,  worked  toward  the  extinction  of 
the  sailing  cruiser.  Curiously  enough,  the  intro- 
duction of  the  gasoline  motor  has  operated  to 
counteract  this,  and  the  outlook  for  real  cruising 
in  yachts  of  moderate  size  is  more  promising 
than  at  any  time  for  many  years.  This  motor  is 
specially  adapted  for  installation  in  the  ordinary 
model  of  cruising  yacht,  a  small  two-bladed  screw 
working  in  an  aperture  cut  in  the  deadwood, 
while  the  motor  itself  is  placed  beneath  the  cock- 
pit, or  in  a  similar  position  in  the  run  where  the 
space  is  practically  useless.  As  long  as  the  wind 
serves,  the  yacht  is  under  sail,  with  no  smokestack 
to  suggest  any  other  power.  When  the  wind  drops, 
the  gasoline  motor  is  at  once  started  and  the  can- 
vas stowed  at  leisure.  A  very  large  number  of 
sailing  yachts,  from  the  old  Cup  defender  Puritan 
down  to  the  smaller  sizes  of  cat-boats,  have  been 
recently  converted  to  auxiliaries  with  no  altera- 
tion of  hull  or  rig  other  than  the  sacrifice  of  a 
small  amount  of  space  under  the  cockpit,  at  best 
useful  only  for  stowage.  Some  of  the  old  40-foot- 
ers,  for  some  years  used  for  cruising,  have  been 
converted  in  the  same  way  into  very  serviceable 
auxiliaries. 


steam  Yachting  in  America  357 

Even  better  results  are  attained  as  a  rule 
when  the  yacht,  whatever  her  size,  is  specially 
designed  as  an  auxiliary;  and  many  such  craft, 
^P  ^o  75  feet  water-line,  have  been  built  since 
1 90 1.  Such  a  yacht  as  Tekla,  designed  in  1902 
by  Gary  Smith,  of  77  feet  water-line,  with  steel 
hull,  is  a  good  example  of  the  new  type.  She  is 
in  all  respects  a  sailing  schooner,  but  fitted  with 
a  Standard  gasoline  motor  of  75  horse-power. 
With  this  power  she  can  be  got  under  way  in 
an  instant,  no  time  being  lost  in  firing  up  and 
raising  steam.  As  long  as  there  is  wind,  she  is 
a  sailing  vessel;  but  in  a  calm  or  light  head 
wind  and  contrary  tide  the  motor  is  started, 
driving  her  at  a  speed  that  insures  a  punctual 
return  to  port.  From  this  size  downward  to 
the  single-hander  of  18  to  20  feet  water-line  the 
gasoline  motor  is  applicable,  and  its  effect  is 
already  seen  in  an  appreciable  increase  in  the 
number  of  true  sailing  yachts  as  compared  with 
the  launches. 

There  is  a  gradual  increase  in  the  number 
of  Americans  who  are  learning  to  enjoy  them- 
selves according  to  the  English  plan,  abandon- 
ing business  when  they  are  once  assured  of  a 
reasonable    fixed    income,   and    devoting    them- 


35^  American  Yachting 

selves  to  sport  or  travel.  To  this  class  the 
gasoline  auxiliary  already  appeals  through  its 
adaptability  to  long  cruises  under  sail  and  the 
handiness  of  the  auxiliary  power  when  in  con- 
tracted waters  and  in  harbor.  To  it  also  we 
may  look  in  time  for  the  development  of  an 
American  type  of  steam  yacht  specially  fitted 
for  long  cruises. 

The  average  American,  whether  from  choice 
or  necessity,  is  so  closely  bound  to  business  that 
his  pleasures  and  his  holidays  must  be  enjoyed 
at  speed,  the  element  of  leisure  being  a  forbid- 
den luxury.  To  such,  even  of  the  most  moder- 
ate means,  there  are  now  available  many  types 
of  small  power  craft,  fitted  for  racing,  for  fish- 
ing, hunting,  and  general  pleasure  running,  for 
cruising  under  sail  or  for  a  quick  trip  along  the 
coast  or  on  the  Lakes  to  fill  a  brief  summer 
vacation.  Given  even  a  moderate  amount  of 
both  time  and  money,  a  man  may  select  from 
the  vast  and  varied  pleasure  fleet  the  exact  size 
and  type  of  yacht  best  suited  to  his  specific 
use. 


RECORD   OF   MATCHES    FOR   THE 
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INDEX 


Ackers,  George,  60,  61. 

Ackers'  Scale,  65. 

Adams,   Charles    Francis,    3d,   202, 

203,  207-208,  233. 
Adams,  George  C,  202,  203,  207- 

208,  233. 
Adda,  28,  30. 
Ailsa,  306. 
Alarm,   British  cutter,   61,  62,  64, 

65,  69. 
Alarm,  schooner,  89. 
Albertson  Brothers,  builders,  74,  79, 

88. 
Aluminum,  first  used  in  canoes,  326. 
Use  of,  in  Defender,  239. 
Use  of,  abandoned  in  Cup  de- 
fenders, 307. 
America,  merchant  ship  and  priva- 
teer, 4. 
America,  schooner,  contract  for,  43. 
Design  of,  40,  45-49. 
History  of,   subsequent  to  win- 
ning Royal  Yacht  Squad- 
ron Cup,  66,  69-71. 
Interior  arrangement  of,  50. 
Laverock's  race  with,  53,  58-59. 
Lines  of,  40. 
Masts  of,  50-51. 
Queen  Victoria  visits,  65-66. 
Race  for  America  Cup  in  1870, 

no. 
Race  for  Royal  Yacht  Squadron 

Cup,  59-65. 
Race  with  Titania,  66. 
Rig  of,  57,  63. 
Sails  of,  51,  62-63. 
Syndicate  which  built,  42-43. 


America,  steam  yacht,  342. 
America  Cup,  America  wins  (Royal 
Yacht  Squadron  Cup),  60- 
65. 
Arrival  of,  in  New  York,  67-68, 

105-106. 
Custody  of,  given  to  New  York 

Yacht  Club,  106-107. 
Defended  by — 

Colwnbia,%c\\Qont.x,  112-I13. 
Columbia,  cutter,  309-315. 
Defender,  240-244. 
Fleet  of  seventeen  American 

yachts,  iio-iii. 
Four    American    schooners, 

1 1 2-1 14. 
Madeline,  1 1 6- 1 1 7. 
Mayflower,  185. 
Mischief,  118-119. 
Puritan,  1 80-1 82. 
Reliance,  318-319. 
Vigilant,  234-236. 
Volunteer,  194. 
Raced  for  by — 

Atalanta,  1 1 7-1 19,  137. 
Cambria,  97,  110-II4. 
Countess  of  Dufferin,    115- 

117. 
Galatea,  182,  1 84-185. 
Genesta,  165-166,  180-182. 
Livonia,  99,  112- 114. 
Shamrock  I,  309-310. 
Shamrock  LI,  312-315. 
Shamrock  LLL,  318-319. 
Thistle,  188-194. 
Valkyrie  II,  234-236. 
Valkyrie  III,  240-244. 


367 


368 


Index 


America  Cup  {^continued  1  — 

Table  showing  matches  for,  360- 

365. 
Amy,  steam  yacht,  346. 
Anaconda,  200,  202. 
Ann  Maria,  31,  32. 
Arrow,  British  cutter,  61,  62,  64,  65. 
Arrow,  American  centre-board  sloop, 

136,  137- 
Ashbury,  James ,  60,  95-96,  98,  99, 
299. 
Challenges  for  America  Cup,  109- 

"5- 
Aspinwall,  William  H.,  340,  342. 
Astrild,  284. 
Atalanta,  races  of,  for  America  Cup, 

117-119,137. 
Athlon,  200,  202. 
Atlantic,  182-183,  201. 
Atlantic  Yacht  Club,  159,  183. 
Aurora,  61,  64,  65. 
Auxiliary  yachts,  356-358. 
Awa,  203. 

Babboon,  203,  212. 

Bacchante,  61,  64,  65. 

Banshee,  202-203,  212. 

Barr,  Captain  Charles,  199,  204,  207, 

224,  231,   239,   308,  310, 

316. 
Barr,   Captain  John,  194,  199-200, 

233- 
Barr,  John,  Jr.,  204. 
Bay  of  Quinte  Yacht  Club,  117. 
Challenge  for  America  Cup  from, 

137- 
Beatrice,  61,  64. 
Becket,  Retire,  4-5. 
Bedouin,    156,   159,   167,   179,  201, 

285. 
Beetle,  174. 
Belle,  28. 

Belmont,  August,  206,  228,  296,  313. 
Belmont,  Oliver  H.  P.,  228. 


Bennett,  James  Gordon,  Jr.,  82,  90, 

93.  97.  100,  167-168. 
Bennett-Douglas  cups,  200. 
Bird,  John  H.,  188. 
Blatch,  W.  L.,  147,  148. 
Boston  as  a  yachting  centre,   161- 

162. 
Boston  Yacht  Club  (of  1835),  27. 
Bourne,  Frederick  G.,  313. 
Bradford,  Captain  "Dan,"  184-185. 
Brand,  J.  Arthur,  255-256. 
Brenda,  31,  35. 
Brenton's  Reef  Cup,  98. 
Brilliant,  61,  65. 
Britannia,  64,  299. 

Race  against  Navahoe,  224. 
Race  against  Vigilant,  64,  237. 
Bronze,  use  of,  in   yacht  construc- 
tion, 297,  306,  307. 
Brooklyn  Yacht  Club,  38,  81. 
Brooks,  John  E.,  228. 
Brown  &  Bell,  builders,  35. 
Brown,  Captain  "Dick,"  51,  98. 
Brown,  Edward  M.,  245,  246. 
Brown,  William  H.,  builder,  42. 
Brunei,  Isambard,  9. 
"Bubfish"  boats,  75. 
Burgess,  Benjamin  F.,  1 70. 
Burgess,  Edward,  186,  212,  226,281. 
Career  of,  169-172. 
Death  of,  223. 
Designing  by,  of — 
Babboon,  203. 
Gossoon,  208. 
Mayflower,  182. 
Nymph,  203. 
Papoose,  202. 
Puritan,  169,  1 75-178. 
Titania,  215. 
Forty-footers  by,  209. 
Ninety-footers  by,  201. 
Smaller  boats  by,  254. 
Burgess,  Sidney  W.,  170-171,  172. 
Burgess,  Walter  S.,  171,  273. 


Index 


369 


Busk,  Joseph  R.,  135,  168. 
Buttercup,  214. 
"Buttercup  bow,"  the,  214. 
Byrne,  St.  Clare  J.,  346. 

Calluna,  306. 

Navahoe  races  against,  224. 
Vigilant  races  against,  237. 
Cambria,  94,  95-96. 

Ocean  race  against  Dauntless,  97, 

no. 
Races  for  America  Cup,  97,  1 10- 
114. 
Camilla,  America  renamed,  70. 
Canada,  Cup  challengers  from,  115- 
118. 
End  made  of  challenges  from, 

122-123. 
Half-raters  in,  259-265. 
Seawanhaka     Trophy    goes   to, 
260. 
Canfield,  A.  Cass,  184. 
Canoeing,  252,  326. 

Outgrowth  of  small  yachts  from, 

254-255- 
Cape  Cod  cat-boats,  252,  332-334. 
Capes,  William,  builder,  15,  23. 
Carey,  Henry  Astor,  229. 
Carll,  David,  builder,  79,  88. 
Carll,  Jesse,  builder,  79. 
Carroll,  Royal  Phelps,  206,  224. 
Carter,  Captain  John,  166,  181,  237. 
Castle  Point,  Stevens  home  at,  8-9. 
Catamarans,  11,  217,  264. 
Cat-boats,  250-252,  324,  332-334- 

«  Bob  "  Fish's,  74-75. 

New  York,  251. 
Celt,  steam  yacht,  349. 
Center,  Robert,  93,   127,  128,  130- 

131- 

Sketch  of,  138-139. 
Centre-board,  keel  vs.,  in  America, 
73,  79-81,   loo-ioi,  142, 
153- 

2B 


Centre-board  sloop,  Puritan  marks 

end  of  the,  186. 
Challenger,  half-rater,  263. 
Chapin,  Chester  W.,  228-229. 
Chester  W.  Chapin,  the,  140. 
Chiquita,  203. 
Chispa,  203. 
Choctaw,  203. 
Cinderella,  compromise  cutter,  200, 

202. 
City  of  Lowell,  140. 
Civil  War,  yachting  after  the,  87. 
Clara,  194,  1 98-20 1. 
Clarita,  341. 
Qark,  George  C,  229. 
Clark,  J.  George,  199. 
Classes,  division  of  yachts  into,  135- 

136. 
Cleopatra^ s  Barge,  4-8. 
"  Clipper  stem,"  the,  214. 
Club-houses,  New  York  Yacht  Club, 

36-37- 
Clyde,  steam  yachts  built   on  the, 

346-348. 
Coats,  James,  145-147. 
"Cod's  head  and  mackerel's  tail" 

model,  1 8. 
Coffin,  Captain,  newspaper  reporter, 

157- 
Colonia,  228,  230-231. 
Columbia,  schooner,  100. 

Defence   of   America    Cup    by, 
I I 2-1 13. 
Columbia^   sloop,  description,  307- 
308. 
Races   in    defence    of   America 

Cup,  309-310*  314-315- 
Columbia  Yacht  Club,  81. 
Columbine,  172. 
Comet,  100. 
"  Composite  "  construction  in  yachts, 

199,  287-288,  296. 
Compromise  cutter,  143,  155,  168. 
Puritan  a  type  of,  176. 


370 


Index 


Compromise  sloop,    135,    143,    168, 

169,  200. 
Comstock,  Nelson,  51. 
Condor,  94. 

Conqueror,  steam  yacht,  347-348. 
Constance,  British  schooner,  61,  64. 
Constance,  half-rater,  265. 
Constitution,  3 1  ^-^  1 4. 
Consuelo,  217. 
Continental    Iron   Works,  builders, 

342- 
Coquette,  31,  3$. 
Corinthian  regatta,  first,  32. 

Second,  34. 
Cornelia,  15,  39. 
Corsair,  forty-rater,  243. 
Countess  of  Duffer  in,  11 5- 117. 
Crane,  Clinton    H.,  259,   262,  265. 
Cranfield,  Captain  William,  234,  243. 
Crocker,  Captain  Aubrey,  182. 
Crowninshield,  Benjamin,  4. 
Crowninshield,  B.  B.,  278. 
Crowninshield,  Captain  George,  2-7. 
Crowninshield  family,  the,  2-3. 
Cup    defenders,    characteristics    of 

later,  304-305. 
Cup  races.     See  America  Cup. 
Cushing,  John  P.,  12. 
Cuthbert,  Alexander,  I15-116,  117. 
"Cutter  cranks,"  133,  153,  154,  155. 
Cutters,  first  American,  129-130. 
Cygnet,  cutter  (British),  16. 
Cygnet,   schooner    (American),    15, 

16,  28,  30,  31,  32,  33,  34. 

Daphne,  200,  202. 

Dart,  31,  32. 

Dauntless,  88,  97. 

Dawson,  Dr.  B.  F.,  143. 

Day  Dream,  steam  yacht,  342. 

Decie,  H.  E.,  70. 

«  Deed  of  Gift,"  the,  106-109. 

Second,  1 19-123. 

Third  ("New"),  195-197. 


Defender,  238,  307. 

Defence  of  America  Cup  by,  240- 

244. 
Description  of,  239. 
Trial  boat  for  Columbia,  306, 308. 
Denny  &  Brother,  builders,  311. 
Depau,  Louis  A.,  28,  73,  82. 
Dilemma,  221-223,  282. 
Diver,  ii. 
Dominion,  typical    "  freak,"    263- 

265,  276. 
Dory,  the   Yankee,   lower   limit  of 

one-design  class,  297. 
Double  Trouble,  II. 
Douglas,  William  P.,  75,  94-95,  ^^^^ 
Dreadnought,  100. 
Dream,  12,  28. 
Duggan,  G.  Herrick,  259,  265. 

Characteristics  of  boats  designed 
by,  275-276. 
Duncan,  Captain  James,  54-55,  147, 

153,  162-163. 
Duncan,  W.   Butler,  Jr.,   294,  306, 

314. 
Dunraven,  Earl  of,  115,  300. 
Career  of,  225. 
Challenges  for  America  Cup,  226- 

227,  237. 
Charges  against  Defender,  240- 

241,  244-245. 
Expulsion  from  New  York  Yacht 

Club,  245. 
Duryea,  H.  B.,  296. 

Eagle,  figure  of,  on  America,  49. 
Eagre,   the  Mohawk  becomes  the, 

103. 
Eclipse,  61,  65. 
Edgar,  William,  28,  29,  36. 
Eelin,  284.  • 

El  Heirie,  259,  262. 
Ellsworth,  Captain  "  Joe,"  77. 
Ellsworth,  Captain   Philip,  77,  159, 

182. 


Index 


371 


Ellsworth  family,  th«,  77-78. 
Elmina^  180. 
Emmett,  Robert,  27. 
England,  America's  visit  to,  53-66. 
Effect  of  Americans  visit  in,  71- 

72. 
Effect  of  defeat  of  Genesia  and 

Galatea  in,  187. 
Introduction  of  canoeing  from, 

252-254. 
Navahoe  visits,  224. 
Silvie  visits,  82. 
Small  boats  in,  254-255. 
Steam    yachts     imported    from, 

346-347. 
Vigilant' s  visit  to,  64,  237-238. 
Enterprise  i  162. 
Erin,2P9^  311. 
Ethelwynn,  253,  255,  257,  258,  267, 

268,  323. 
Eva,  schooner,  88. 
Explosion  motors,  355. 

F.  df  R.,  half-rater,  256. 

Fanita,  136,  161. 

Fanny,  136,  159,  161,  164,167,  20I. 

Favorite,  82,  83. 

Fay  &  Son,  builders,  225. 

Fearing,  H.  S.,  91. 

Fernande,  61,  64. 

"Fiddle  bow,"  the,  214. 

Fife,  William,  Jr.,  199,  201,  204,  207. 

Shamrock  I  conn^z\XQXi,  305-306, 
309-311. 

Shamrock  III  designed  by,  316. 
Fifteen-footer.     See  Half-rater. 
Fin  keel,  advent  of  the,  222-223. 

Exploitation  of,  in  small  classes 
of  boats,  254. 
Finley,  J.  Beekman,  43. 
Firefly,  W.  H.  Aspinwall's,  340-341, 

342. 
Firefly,  Jacob  Lorillard's,  342. 
Fish,  Captain  «  Bob,"  74,  %%,  94-95. 


Fish,  Isaac,  74. 
Fish,  Latham  A.,  159. 
Flatties,  272. 
Fleetwing,  85,  87,  I  ID. 

Ocean  race  of,  89-93. 
Fleur  de  Lis,  87. 
FUnt,  Charles  R.,  228. 
Flint,  F.  W.,  203. 
Florinda,  177. 

Forbes,  J.  Malcolm,  169,  172,  173, 
Forbes,  R.  B.,  12,  28. 
Forbes,  W.  H.,  172,  173. 
Force,  William,  342. 
For  tuna,  159,  174,  212,  285. 
France,  scow  type  of  yacht  in,  277. 
Freak,  British  cutter,  61,  64. 
Freak  types,  development  of.  in  half- 
raters,  263. 
Fritsch,  Hugo,  342. 
Fulton,  E.  M.,  Jr.,  229. 

Galatea,  179,  182,  184,  214,  219. 
Description  of,  165-166. 
Mayflower  defeats,  off   Marble- 
head,  186. 
Races  for  the  America  Cup,  182, 
184-185. 
Gardner,  John  L.,  172. 
Gardner,    William,  203,    205,    297, 

348. 
Garner,  Commodore  William  T.,  37, 

101-103. 
Gary,  Elbert  H.,  316. 
Gas  engines,  355. 
Gasoline  motors,  355. 
Genesta,  191,  214,  219,  323. 
Arrival  at  New  York,  1 79. 
Description  of,  165-166. 
Races  for  America  Cup,  165-166, 
180-182. 
George  and  Annie,  147. 
Gertrude,  75. 

Gertrude,  Lieutenant  Henn's  yawl, 
184. 


372 


Index 


Gielow,  H.  J.,  steam-yacht  designing 

by,  348. 
Gifford  Major  Charles,  115-116. 
Gimcrack,  1 5-1 7, 27, 30, 31, 34, 35, 41. 
Gipsy  Queen,  61,  64. 
Gitana,  174. 
Glencairn    /,   258,    259-260,    262, 

263,  268. 
Glencairn  IT,  262-263. 
Glencairn  III,  265. 
Gloriana,   71,    221,  222,  223,   224, 

267,  269,  282,  287. 
Design  of,  217-219. 
"  Gloriana  bow,"  the,  218. 
Gorilla,  203,  206. 
Gossoon,  208,  287. 
Gould,  George  J.,  237,  239. 
Gould,  Howard,  237. 
Grade,  136,  137,  154,  155,  164,  167, 

179,  201. 
Gray,  "William,  Jr.,  172,  174. 
Grayling,  159-160,  183,  201. 
Griscom,  Clement  A.,  316. 
Gypsy,  83. 

Haff,  Captain   "Hank,"    194,   228, 

230,  237,  239. 
Hagstaff,  41. 
Halcyon,  88,  98,  173. 

Prototype  for  Puritan,  177. 
Half-raters,  defined,  256. 

Races  of,  258-265. 
Hamilton,  James  A.,  42,  52. 
Hansen,  Captain  William,  231. 
Harris,  J.  J. ,  modeller  and  builder,  88. 
Harvey,  John,  134,  144, 156,  285. 
Haswell,  81. 

Hathorne  and  Steers,  builders,  42. 
Hauoli  I,  349. 
Hauoli  II,  349. 
Havemeyer,  Theodore  A.,  342. 
Havre,  Americans  arrival  at,  51-52. 
Haze,  82,  83. 
Helen  and  Alice,  203. 


Hemenway,  Augustus,  172,  174,203. 

Hendersons,  builders,  190. 

Henn,  Lieutenant  William,  184-186, 

246,  321. 
Henrietta,  85,  89,  97. 

Ocean  race  of,  90-93. 
Herreshoff,  John  B.,  79,  171,  215- 

216. 
Herreshoff,  Nathaniel  G.,  215-217. 
Dilemma  designed  by,  221-223. 
Gloriana  designed  by,  217-221. 
Vigilant  steered  by,  in  Cup  race, 

236-237. 
Work  of,  in  Cup  defenders,  302- 
303,  320-321. 
Herreshoff  Manufacturing  Company, 
79,  216-217. 
Catamarans    designed    by,   217, 

264. 
Design  and  construction  by,  of — 
Colonia,  228-230, 
Columbia^  306-308. 
Constitution,  313. 
Defender,  238-239. 
Navahoe,  224. 
Reliance,  3 16-3 1 7. 
Shadow,  151. 
Vigilant,  229. 
Wasp,  224. 
Half- raters  built  by,  257. 
Knockabouts      ("  raceabouts  ") , 

293- 
"One-design"    class    of    boats, 

295-298. 
Sails  made  by,  302-304. 
Seventy-foot  class,  297. 
Steam    vessel    construction    by, 

343-344. 
Torpedo-boats  built  by,  217,  343. 
Hesper,  173. 
Hewett,  Robert,  214. 
Higginson,  Francis  L.,  172. 
Hiker,  the,  251. 
Hildegarde,  136,  137,  155,  159. 


Index 


373 


Hill,  G.  H.  B.,  132. 

Hill,  James  J.,  316. 

Hoboken  Model  Yacht  Qub,  27. 

Hoffman,  Ogden,  27. 

Hogarth,    Captain    "Archie,"  308- 

309- 
Hollow  spars,  on  Maria,  24. 

Modern,  286. 
Hope,  Linton,  257. 
Hopkins,  W.  Barton,  229. 
Hornet,  3i>  32. 

Hovey,  Henry  S.,  159,  172,  174. 
Howard,  William  Willard,  255. 
Hoyt,  Colgate,  205. 
Hudson  River  sloops,  19,  22. 
Huntington,  L.  D.,  Jr.,  260. 
Huron,  174,  201. 
Hyslop,  John,  127,  130. 

Length-and-sail-area      rule     of, 
280-281. 

Sketch  of  career  of,  140-141. 

Wave  form  theory  of,  141,  213. 

Ideal,  steam  yacht,  342. 

Idler,  Z%,  98,  1 10. 

Immadium,  use  of,  in  Shamrock  II, 

312. 
Independence,  277-279,  314. 
Internal-combustion  motors,  355. 
Intrepid,  schooner,  132. 
Intrepid,  sloop,  212,  285. 
lone,  61. 
Irex,  165. 
Iron,  use  of,  in  yacht  construction, 

284,  344. 
Iroquois,  201,  212. 
Iselin,  C.  Oliver,  228,  231,  232,  239, 

243»  306,  316. 
Conduct   of,   under    Dunraven's 

accusations,  245-246. 
Inspiration  of  personaUty  of,  322. 
his,  200. 

Italy,  scow  type  of  yacht  in,  277. 
Itchen  Length  Class  boats,  202. 


Jane,  knockabout,  289-291. 
Jay,  John  C,  28,  29. 
Jefferson,  3-4. 
Jerome,  Leonard  W.,  341. 
Jersey  City  Yacht  Club,  38,  81. 
Jib-and-mainsail  boats,  251-252. 
Josephine,  88. 
Jubilee,  228,  232. 

Description  of,  233. 
Julia,  21-22,  73,  80,  89. 
Juniata,  88. 

Kamehameha  I,  King,  owner  of  Cleo- 
patra^ s  Barge,  7. 

Kanawha  II,  steam  yacht,  349. 

Katrina,  204,  215,  226. 

Keel,  question  of,  vs.  centre-board, 
73»  79-81,  loo-ioi,   142, 

153. 
Kirby,  David,  builder,  79,  117,  137. 
Kismet,  steam  yacht,  349. 
Knickerbocker  Boat  Club,  26. 
Knockabout  Association,  formation 

of,  292. 
Knockabouts,  289-294,  296,  334. 
Advent  of,  289-292. 
Over-development      into     race- 
abouts,  293. 
Kunhardt,  C.  P.,  158,  160. 

la  Coquille,  15,  28,  30,  31,  32,  35. 
Lake   St.   Louis,  Seawanhaka  Cup 

races  on,  262-263,  265. 
lancet,  30,  31,  32. 
Lapthorne   &   Ratsey,    sail-makers, 

156-157.  303-304- 
lapwitig,  173. 
Larchmont  Yacht  Club,  294. 
Launches,  steam,  353-356. 
laverock,  race  by,  against  America, 

53.  58-59. 
Lawlor,  D.  J.,  builder,  79,  162,  174. 
Lawley  &   Son,   builders,   79,    178, 

182,  228. 


374 


Index 


Lawrence  &  Foulks,  builders,  341. 
Lawson,  Thomas  W.,  278-279,  314. 
Lee,  C.  Smith,  127,  144,  195. 
Leeds,  William  B.,  316. 
Length-and-sail-area  rule,  Hyslop's, 

280-281. 
D Hirondelle^  88.     See  Dauntless, 
IJ IndiennCi  256. 
Lipton,  Sir  Thomas,  3cx>-30i,  309, 

311. 

First  Cup  challenge  from,  305. 

Second  challenge  from,  312. 

Third  challenge  from,  316. 
Liris,  203,  205,  206,  207,  208,  286. 
Livingston,  C.  L.,  9,  27. 
LivoniUy  cut  of,  100. 

Model  of.  III. 

Race  for  America  Cup,  I12-I14. 
Lonsdale,  Lord,  238. 
Loper,  R.  F.,  74,  88,  341. 
Lorillard,  Jacob,  342. 
Lorillard,  Pierre,  Jr.,  88,  90. 
Lotowana^  203. 
Lovejoy,  J.  F.,  206. 
Lysistrata,  steam  yacht,  348. 

McCalmont,  Captain  H.  Le  B., 
238. 

McGiehan,  "  Pat,"  builder,  78. 

McKay,  Captain,  newspaper  re- 
porter, 157. 

McManus  &  Son,  sail-makers,  178. 

McVey,  A.  G.,  203. 

Madcap,  136. 

Madeline,  88-89,  98»  99,  116-117. 

Madge,  Scotch  cutter,  54-55,  80, 
142,  144-154. 

Madgie,  82,  98. 

Maggie,  156,  159. 

Magic,  98,  105,  HO. 

Mahan,  Captain  Alfred  T.,  245. 

Mallory,  D.  D.,  builder,  74,  79. 

Marett,  Philip  R., "  Yacht  Building " 
by,  127. 


Maria,  tjq,  22,  32-33,  41,  89. 

Description  of,  23-24. 

Races  against  America,  44. 
Mariquita,  203. 
Marjorie,  163. 
Martin  Van  Bur  en,  15. 
Mary  Taylor,  18-19,  20,  41,  62,  67. 
Mather,  Samuel,  205. 
Mayfloiver,  sloop,  6,  193,  201,  214, 
286. 

Description  of,  182. 

Galatea  beaten  by,  off  Marble- 
head,  186. 
Mayflower,  steam  yacht,  348. 
Means,  James,  203. 
Memphis,\2Xtx  name  for  America,  70. 
Merlin,  201. 
Meteor  II,  299,  310. 
Miller,  Captain  "Lem,"  310,  316. 
Mineola  II,  296. 
Minerva,  206-208,  287. 

Resemblance  of  Shamrock  II  to, 
316,  319. 
Minna,  28,  30,  31. 
Minnie,  82,  Z^. 
Miranda,  20 1. 

Mischief,    142-143,    155,    159,    164, 
201,  214,  221,  284. 

Defence  of  America  Cup  by,  n8- 

"9,  137-138- 
Description  of,  135. 
Mist,  28,  31. 
Mistral,  148,  149,  153. 
Moccasin,  208,  287. 
Modelling,  effect  of  Americans  visit 

on  English,  71-72. 
Mohawk,  capsizing  of,  80,  101-103, 

126,  131,  158. 
Momo,  262-263. 
Mona,  61. 

Montant,  Jules  A.,  168,  180. 
Montauk,  201. 
Morgan,  E,  D.,  206,  217,  228,  239, 

3I4»  316. 


Index 


375 


Morgan,  J.  Pierpont,  228,  245,  306. 
Moses  H.  Grinnell,  21,  41. 
Mosquito,  20,  62,  67,  212,  284. 
Moya,  172. 

Mumm,  John  F,,  builder,  131,  182. 
Muriely  134,  142. 

Nahma,  steam  yacht,  348. 
Nancy,  knockabout,  289-291. 
Naphtha  engines,  introduction    of, 

353-354- 
Navahoe,  224. 
Neola,  297. 
Newburgh,  30,  31,  75. 
New  Deed  of  Gift,  the,  54,  195-197. 
New  Orleans,  Southern  Yacht  Club 

of,  37- 
New  York,  origin  of  yachting  in,  8. 
New  York  Boat  Club,  26-27. 
New  York  Canoe  Club,  252,  255. 
New  York  cat-boats,  251. 
New  York  Yacht  Club,  America  Cup 
given  into  custody  of,  106- 
107. 
City  quarters  of,  36-37. 
Qub-house  at  Staten  Island,  36. 
Dunraven  expelled  from,  245. 
First  club-house,  29. 
Organization  of,  17,  27-28. 
Regattas,  82-84. 
Niagara,  United  States  frigate,  17, 

22. 
Nimbus,  built  by  J.  B.  Herreshoff 
for  Edward  Burgess,  171. 
North  Carolina  Yacht  Club,  37-38. 
Northern  Light,  28,  31. 
North  River  sloops,  19,  22. 
North    Star,  Commodore  Vander- 

bilt's,  340. 
Nymph,  203,  212. 

Ocean  Gem,  342. 

Ocean  race,  Cambria  against  Daunt- 
lessj  97,  no. 


Ocean  race  [^continued"]  — 

Fieetwing,  Henrietta,  and  Vesta, 

89-93- 
Oelrichs,  Hermann,  137. 
Oimara,  94,  284. 
Olita,  256,  257. 
One-design  class,  294-298. 

Scope  for  amateur  talent  in,  331. 
One-gun  start,  the,  236-237. 
Onkahie,  12. 
Oriva,  144,  159. 
Osgood,  Franklin,  90. 
Ottowa,  gunboat,  71. 
Osgood,  George,  90. 
Outlook,  273-274,  276. 

Padelford,  E.  M.,  206. 

Paine,  General  Charles  J.,  169,  185. 

Mayflower  built  by,  182. 

Personality  of,  a  feature  in  suc- 
cess of  boats,  321-322. 

Sketch  of  career  of,  172-173. 

Testimonial     from    New     York 
Yacht  Club,  194. 

Volunteer  built  by,  192. 
Paine,  John  B.,  228. 
Palmer,  Robert,  builder,  79,  88,  98, 

99. 
Paloma,  150. 

Papoose,  202,  203,  212,  214. 
Parker,  Captain  Ben,  310. 
Parker,  Herman,  290. 
Payne,  Oliver  H.,  313. 
Payne  Bill,  the,  348. 
Peabody,  Francis  E.,  162. 
Pear  sail,  31,  32. 
Pearsall,  P.  S.,  202. 
Penny  Bridge  boats,  76,  78. 
Periaguas,  li,  13,  250. 
Pet,  31. 

Petrel,  130,  140,  142. 
Petronilla,  225. 
Phantom,  88. 
Phelps,  Edward  J.,  245. 


Zl^ 


Index 


Phoenix,  Lloyd,  132. 

Piepgrass,  Henry,  builder,  134,  144, 

156. 
Pilgrim,  228,  233. 
Pilot-boats,  New  York,  17-18. 
Pocahontas,  137,  1 55. 
Poillon  Brothers,  builders,  88,  93. 
Pook,  Samuel,  88. 
Press,    nautical,   reporters    for  the, 

157-158. 
Priscilla,   168,  198,   201,   214,  323. 
Races  against  Puritan,  178-179. 
Races  against  Mayflower,  184. 
Prospero,  132. 

Puritan,    170,    193,   198,   20I,   212, 
214,  286,  323,  356. 
Defends   America    Cup    against 

Genesta,  180-182. 
Description,  176-177. 

Rig.  177-178. 
Sails,  178. 
Pusey  &  Jones  Co.,  builders,  193. 

Queen  Mab,  243,  284. 

Queen's  Cup  race,  66. 

Question,  256,  260-261,  265,  272. 

Quin,  Wyndham  Thomas  Wyndham. 

See  Dunraven,  Earl  of. 
Quincy  Yacht  Club  cup,  273. 

Raceabouts,  293-294. 
Races,  early  New  York,  24. 

International.     5<f<f  America  Cup. 
Ocean,  89-93,  97>  ^  ^O' 
Trial,   in    connection  with   Cup 
contests,    137,    179,    184, 
231.  239,  308,  318. 
Rainbow,  296. 
Rambler,  91. 
Ratsey,     Michael,     modeller     and 

builder,  63. 
Ray,  sloop,  21. 
Ream,  Norman  B.,  316. 
Reaney  &  Neafie,  builders,  341. 


Reaney,  Sons  &  Archbold,  builders 

129. 
Rebecca,  73,  82,  83. 
Regattas,   early  New   York    Yacht 
Club's,  29-34. 
Eastern  Yacht  Club's,  186. 
First  Corinthian,  32-33. 
New  York  Yacht  Club's  (1870), 
97-100. 
Regina,  136,  159. 
Reliance,  304-305. 

Defence   of   America    Cup    by, 

318-319. 

Description  of,  317. 

Syndicate  for  building,  316. 
Reporters,  yachting,  157-158. 
Resolute,  1 00. 
Restless,  83. 
Restricted  classes,  294-298. 

Scope  for  amateur  talent  in,  331. 
Rhodes,  Captain  Urias,  308, 314,  316. 
Richard  Peck,  140. 
Richardson,  A.,  225. 
Richmond,  D.  O.,  builder,  79. 
Ricker,  R.  E.,  343. 
Rives,  George  L.,  245. 
Rockefeller,  William,  316. 
Rogers,  Archibald,  156,  224,  228,230. 
Rogers,  James,  28. 
RolUns,  George  B.,  28,  29. 
Rondina,  172. 
Roosevelt,  Nicholas  J.,  9. 
Rose  of  Devon,  177. 
Royal  Clyde  Yacht  Club,  challenge 
for   America    Cup    from, 
188-190. 

Second  challenge  announced  but 
withdrawn,  194-196. 
Royal  Nova  Scotia  Yacht  Club,  123. 
Royal  St.  Lawrence  Yacht  Club,  330. 

Seawanhaka  Trophy  won  by,  258- 
260. 
Royal  Ulster  Yacht  Club,  challenge 
for  America  Cup  from,  305. 


Index 


377 


Royal  Yacht  Squadron  Cup,  59-68. 

See  America  Cup. 
Royal  Yacht   Squadron   Cup   race, 

significance  of,  66-67. 
Russell,  John  Scott,  19-20,  72,  212. 
Wave  form  theory  of,  62,  141. 

Sachem,  201. 

Sails,  Herreshoff's  vs.  Lapthorne  & 

Ratsey's,  303. 
Salem,  early  shipping  from,  2-3. 
Sand-bag  sailing,  251,  327. 
Disappearance  of,  254. 
Sappho,  88,  93-97- 

Defence  of  America  Cup  by,  113- 

114. 
Satania,  224,  237. 
Satanita,  237. 

Schemer,  148,  149,  150,  153. 
Schermerhorn,  F.  Augustus,  228. 
Schooners,  effect  of  Mohawk  disaster 

on,  103. 
Ocean  race  of,  89-93,  97>  '  'O- 
Schuyler,  George  L.,  28,  42,   119- 

121,  195. 
Schuyler,  M.  Roosevelt,  134. 
Schuyler,  Philip,  168. 
Scow  class,  development  of  the,  263- 

266. 
Independence  a  member  of,  277- 

279. 
Resemblance     of    Reliance    to, 

317- 
Theory  of  design  of,  268-273. 
Types  of,  273-275. 
Seabury,  C.  L.,  steam-yacht  designing 

by,  348. 
Sears,  David,  29. 
Sears,  J.  Montgomery,  172,  174. 
Seawanhaka  Trophy  for  small  yachts, 
249,  256. 
Canadians  carry  off,  260. 
Later   races  for,  262-263,  265- 
266. 


Seawanhaka  Yacht  Club,  formation 
of,  126-127. 
Name    "Corinthian"   added   to 

title,  132. 
One-design  class  of  knockabouts 

established  by,  296. 
Prize  given  by,  249,  256, 260-266. 
Promotion  of  scientific  yachting 
by,  132-133. 
Senneville,  264. 

Shadow,  148,  150-152,  162,  203. 
Shamrock,  American  wooden  centre- 
board cutter,  226. 
Shamrock  I,  301,  304. 

Arrival  at  New  York,  309. 
Races  for  America  Cup,  309-31 1. 
Shamrock  II,  description  of,  312. 

Races  for  Cup,  315, 
Shamrock  III,  230,  3 1 8-3 1 9. 
Sharpies,  272. 
Shearwood,  F.  P.,  259,  265. 

Characteristics  of  boats  designed 
by,  275-276. 
Sherlock,  "Dicky,"  233. 
Shona,  204. 
Sibyl,  30,  31,  T,i. 
Silvie,  21,  73,  82,  89,  1 10. 
Siren,  31,  32,  34. 
Sisson,  Dr.,  151. 
Skipjacks,  272. 
Sloane,  Captain  "  Tom,"  207. 
Smedley,  "  Hen,"  builder,  78. 
Smith,  Archibald  Cary,  128, 133,  212, 
215,  231,  281,  285,  357. 
Designing  by,  of — 
Banshee,  202. 
Cinderella,  200. 
Fortuna,  159. 
Gorilla,  203,  206. 
Hesper,  174. 
Intrepid,  132. 
Katrina,  204. 
Mischief,  135. 
Friscilla,  169. 


Z7^ 


Index 


Smith,  Archibald  Cz.TY\_continued'\— 
Designing  by,  of  — 

Frospero,  132. 

Tekla,  357. 

Valkyr,  143. 

Vindexy  128-129. 
Sketch  of  career  of,  138-139. 
Steam-yacht  designing  by,  348, 

357- 
Smith,  Henry  N.,  342. 
Smith,  James  D.,  137. 
Smith,     James     E.,    modeller    and 

builder,  79,  89. 
Smith  &  Dimon,  builders,  340. 

Solent,  small  boat  sailing  on  the, 

255. 
South  Boston  Yacht  Club,  81. 
Southern  Yacht  Club,  37. 
sport,  35. 

Spray,  28,  30,  31,  32,  34. 
Spruce  III,  255. 
Spruce  /r,  258,  323. 
Steam  yachts,  advent  of,  in  America, 

339-341- 
Development  of,  341-343. 
Herreshoffs  engage  in  building, 

343-344. 
Importation   of,    from  England, 

346-347. 
Use   of,  for    ferrying    purposes, 

349-353. 
Stearns,  W.  B.,  296. 
Stebbins,  C.  H.,  168,  180. 
Steers,  George,   14-22,  35,  39,   51, 

73,  80,  212,  213,  220. 
America  built  by,  45-46. 
Considered  as  a  designer,  45-46. 
Steers,  Henry,  51,  89,  342. 
Steers,  James  R.,  51. 
Steers  family,  the,  14-15. 
Stella,  British  cutter,  61,  64. 
Stephens,  W.  P.,  257. 
Stephenson,  Robert,  matches  Tita- 

nia  against  America,  59. 


Stevens,  Edwin  A.,  10,  19,  39,  42, 
52,  89. 
Commodore  of  New  York  Yacht 
Club,  36. 
Stevens,  James,  10. 
Stevens,  Colonel  John,  8-io. 
Stevens,  John  C,  lo-ii,  14,  15,  17, 
19,  23,  27,  28,  29,  39. 
Connection  with    America,   42, 
53-66. 
Stevens,  Robert  L.,  10,  19,  22,  27. 
Stevens  Battery,  the,  10. 
Stevens     family,    development     of 
steam  navigation  by,   10, 
339. 
Stewart,  W.  A.  W.,  127. 
Stewart  &  Binney,   designers,   228, 

233,  289. 
Stillman,  James,  134,  156,  313. 
Stranger,  201. 
Stuyvesant,  Rutherford,  99. 
Sutton,  Sir  Richard,  180,  246,  299. 
Sverige,  America  beats,  69. 
Sweet,  Charles,  199-200. 
Sycamore,  Captain,  243,  315. 
Sylph,  12. 

Syndicate  formed  for  building  — 
America,  42-43. 
Colonia,  228. 
Constitution,  313. 
Pilgrim,  228. 
Puritan,  169,  1 72- 1 76. 
Reliance,  316. 
Vigilant,  228-229. 

Taggard,  Henry,  289-290. 

Tams,  J.  F.,  168,  180. 

Tarolinta,  lOO. 

Tekla,  auxiliary  yacht,  357. 

Terry,  Captain  Norman,  160. 

Thetis,  201. 

Thistle,  190-191,  194,  214,  215. 

Thorneycroft  &  Co.,  builders,  306. 

Tidal  Wave,  98,  loo-ioi. 


Index 


379 


Titania,  American  cutter,  204,  214- 


215 


226. 


Titania,  Brit?^^  scKooner,   61,  62, 


64, 


66. 


Tobin  bronze-  ^^  °f'  '»  yacht  con- 
gt^uction,  297. 

Vigilant  f="^  employs,  229. 

Tomahawk,  ^°3.  209. 
Tooker,  WiUi^Jl'  73- 
Torpedo-boat-^^* '■*^shoiis',  2 1 7, 34.^, 
Trial  races,  if'  '79,  *S4.  2.1,,  -^39^ 
308,  ^« 

7>2"%,  256.  / 

Trouble,  11. 

7>«i/  Me,  256,  25 . 

Turner,  Christopher;  v,  3. 

Tweed,  Charles  H.,  1     .     o;^,  206. 

^'wa,  American  sloop,  15, 18,  39,  82. 
Una,  Marquis  of  Conyngham's  six- 
teen-footer,  75. 
"  Una  "  class  of  sailboats,  75. 
Undine,  75. 
Union  silk,  use  of,  in  sails,  205,  287. 

Valiant,  142. 

Valkyr,  143-144,  159,  186. 
Valkyrie  I,  225. 
Valkyrie  II,  228,  284. 
Description  of,  233-234. 
Navahoe  races  against,  224. 
Races  for  America  Cup,  234-236. 
Sunk  by  Satanita,  237. 
Valkyrie  III,  description  of,  238. 

Races  for  America  Cup,  240-244. 
Van  Buskirk  family,  the,  77. 
Vanderbilt,  Cornelius,  228,  296,  316, 

340. 
Vanderbilt,  F.  W.,  228. 

Conqueror  episode,  347. 
Vanderbilt,  W.  K.,  228,  239. 
Vanderbilt,  W.  K ,  Jr.,  296. 
Van  Deusen,  J.  B.,  78,  %%,  89,  93, 
342. 


Varuna,  ftcam  yacht,  348. 

VenJ.ff^.  24 J. 
y'-ni.^-    .  203,  208. 
Verenc,  203. 
VcrpJanck,  Samuel,  27. 
Veiia,  85,  88,  283. 

Ocean  race  of,  89-93. 
Victoria,  75. 
Victoria  and  Albert,  65. 
Vigilant,  64,  229. 

Defence   of   America    Cup    by, 
234-236. 

Description,  232. 

Races  against  Britannia,   237, 
238. 

Trial    races    against    Defender, 
239-240. 

Visit  to  England,  237-238. 
Vindex,  129-130,  139,  142,  284. 
Virginia,  296. 
Vision,  129,  136. 
Vixen,  136,  159. 
Volante,  61,  64,  65,  131. 
Volunteer,  201,  228. 

Defence  of  America  Cup  by,  194. 

Description,  192-193,  214. 

Waller,  John  R.,  137. 
Walters,  Henry,  313,  316. 
Wanderer,  100. 
Ward,  Samuel  Curwen,  7. 
Warren,  George  H.,  156. 
Wasp,  224,  243,  287. 
Waterbury,  James  M.,  28. 
Watson,  George  L.,  designing  of — 

Madge,  145. 

Marjorie,  163. 

Shamrock  //,  311. 

Thistle,  190,  214. 

Valkyrie  I,  225. 

Valkyrie  II,  228. 

Valkyrie  III,  238. 
Steam-yacht  designing  by,  346, 
348. 


38o 


Index 


Wave,  schooner,  ii. 

Wave,  sloop,  148, 149,  150,  152, 153. 

Wave,  steam  yacht,  341-342. 

Webb,  J.  Beavor,  165. 

Webb  &  Allen,  builders,  12. 

Weetamoe,  297. 

Weld,  William  F.,  172,  174. 

Wenonah,  156,  159,  167,  285. 

Wetmore,  C.  W.,  205. 

Wetmore  &  Holbrook,  builders,  12. 

White   Bear   Lake,   scow  type    on, 

275- 
Whitecap,  136. 
Whitehall  boats,  247-248. 
Whitney,  H.  P.,  296. 
Whitney,  William  C,  245. 
Widener,  P.  A.  B.,  316. 
Widgeon,  82. 

Wilkes,  Hamilton,  26,  28,  29,  43. 
Wilson,  R.  H.,  sail-maker,  51,  157. 
Winchester,  W.  P.,  28. 
Winde  &  Clinkard,  builders,  35. 
Wintringham,  H.  C,  designer,  348. 


Wolverton,  Lord/23S', 

Wood,  use  of,  in  vacfi  t  construction, 

Wringe,  Captain,  315. 
Wy verity  61,  65. 

Xara,  205. 

Yacht,  definition  of,  i 

First  American,  x-i^ 
«  i^acht  Building,"  M^yg^^,g^  j^;. 
Vach.^ing.  origir  or,  ,^  ^.^^  york,  8. 
Yachti"ng  journat^,  V^  .^  ._^ 

Yachting   ^^^^ "  ,2^/ 


Yachting  re 


i8,  160. 


ssociation,  141. 


Yacht  Raci. 
Yankee,  2<^  . 
Yolande,  134. 

Yorktown,   cause  of  the    Valkyrie- 
Defender  foul.  242. 
Yvonne,  207. 

Zingay  83. 


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